Class 




eft"* 



m ° sip,. 



(COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 




JOSIPIt F. W/UUM3 



HISTORY of E COMPANY 
37™ U. S. ENGINEERS 



BY 

■ 

Private H. C. BROWN 



Publishing Committee 

Sgt. FRANCIS A. McDERMOTT 

Master Engineer CHAS. H. ACHENBACH 

Sgt. FRANK T. MILES 

Sgt. GEO. B. BATES, Chairman 



3g 



COPYRIGHT 1919 

Capt. Donald C. McClure 



lt|J 27 1919 



PRESS OF QEO. H. ELLIS CO., BOSTON 



•CI.A535007 




Maj. JOSEPH T. KELLY, Jr. 



FOREWORD 



This volume has been prepared simply for the 
use of the members of this Company as a reference 
and in no sense is it a work for general circula- 
tion. It represents a chronological arrangement of 
the Company's activities, and the Morning Report 
has served as a basis throughout. In attempting 
to record the individual stories of many of the 
details, it has been necessary to rely upon the recol- 
lection of the supervising officers, and inaccura- 
cies or omissions may be found. The men's 
diaries have been of great assistance, and I feel 
that, in general, the story will serve as an accurate 
military record. Obviously it has been impossible 
to mention all details and I am confident that the 
men will look to the volume more as a useful ref- 
erence covering the accomplishments of the organi- 
zation as a whole than as a record of personal 
achievement. 

In preparing the summary of our work, I have 
been impressed with the fact that the men have 
worked under very severe conditions almost con- 
tinuously since their arrival in France, and if at 
times too much stress seems to have been placed 
upon the narration of the dangers undergone, I 
feel that we should be pardoned. Our story should 
contain the facts, and we have a just pride in our 
contribution to the cause. In the years to come 
we shall be glad to have of record the truth about 



our service, and it has been my one aim to get the 
facts and deal with them coldly and fairly. If the 
result is of any value to the men, I shall be more 
than glad to have had the honor of collecting and 
recording the information which they themselves 
have furnished. 

Although the history has been prepared and its 
policy directed wholly by the men, invaluable assist- 
ance has been afforded by the officers. We are 
particularly indebted to Lieut. R. W. Reynolds, 
who has co-operated throughout and aided greatly 
in his suggestions as to outline and in checking 
the accuracy of the story. Among others are Mas- 
ter Engineer W. S. Church, who has had the illus- 
trating and artistic features of the book in his 
care ; Pvt. H. W. Cutler, whose maps are a valuable 
contribution ; First Sergt. S. W. Raker, upon whom 
I have relied almost entirely for the Company 
record information; and Pvt. Harry Hutchinson, 
for collecting and arranging many of the individual 
details. 

The Writer. 



HISTORY OF E COMPANY, 37TH 
U.S. ENGINEERS 



CHAPTER I 



Company E, Second Battalion, 37th U.S. Engi- 
neers, was organized at Fort Myer, Va., April 4, 
1918, under the command of Capt. J. T. Kelly, Jr. 
The first morning report on April 5 showed an 
enrolment on the previous day of one man, Pvt. 
H. E. Kane. From that time forward, the Com- 
pany grew rapidly by the addition of casuals and 
transfers. First Lieut. F. J. G. Reuter was as- 
signed to the Company at the time of its formation, 
having been transferred from Company C ; and on 
April 6, First Lieut. John S. Curley joined the 
organization, transferred from Company A. There 
was an enrolment of thirty-nine men at the time. 
On April 9, Second Lieut. George J. Kollock and 
Second Lieut. W. F. Daly were assigned to the 
Company; and on April 15, at which time the or- 
ganization had grown to 179 men, First Lieut. F. G. 
Beckman joined it. 

During the early weeks of organization and in- 
struction, the Company was quartered in the old 
Troop A barracks, adjacent to the riding-hall, and 
few events transpired that were unusual or out of 
the ordinary routine followed by troops in the 
process of training in the school of the soldier. 
The greater portion of the time was consumed by 



the officers in instructing the men in the rudiments 
of military training, which was later to be supple- 
mented by more special instruction of an engineer- 
ing nature. It had been assumed that all of the 
men in the Company were specialists in their re- 
spective trades, as provision for this had been made 
in the original selection, but there was a tremen- 
dous amount of work to be done before these 
men should become soldiers, amenable to discipline, 
and ready to handle arms in the field, should the 
occasion arise when such should be necessary. 

The Company did, however, find time to construct 
and design, to a large extent, a Koxtheion range- 
finding trench station, which was an engineering 
undertaking of considerable magnitude. The work 
was hardly of the sort to be expected of electrical 
and mechanical men, yet, in line with Captain 
Kelly's desire that his men be equal to any sort of 
an engineering enterprise, the station was con- 
structed in such a manner as to attract favorable 
comment. Work on the station was begun on April 
28 and the experimental work started June 5. 
For a considerable portion of the time, six shifts 
were engaged night and day until the rifle range 
practice compelled the withdrawal of the men tem- 
porarily. Master Engineer H. E. Kleffel and Sergt. 
W. F. Ueberle were directly in charge of the con- 
struction. 

This dugout was an experimental affair designed 
primarily for testing certain apparatus used in 
detecting sounds in and upon the surface of the 
ground near the front-line trenches and determin- 
ing the distance from the point of observation to 
the disturbance. The original excavation was about 
thirty feet, and a three-story bomb-proof of 




Washington. 
D. C. 





Capt. DONALD C. McCLURE 



Lieut. WM. F. DALY 





Lieut. G. J. KOLLOCK 



Lieut. RALPH W. REYNOLDS 



reinforced concrete was constructed, semicircular 
in form, in the direction facing the assumed front- 
line trenches. The inside width at the bottom was 
twenty-five feet, and the floor-to-ceiling height of 
the three chambers, eight feet. Octagonal cones 
with their apexes pointing to the centre of a twelve- 
foot circle, the inside radius of the semicircular 
wall, was built in monolithic construction with the 
wall, and two-inch square rods passed through the 
centre of these cones to the earth outside. At the 
apexes of the cones, proper arrangements were 
made for the connection of the sounding instru- 
ments to the structure. 

Nothing of note transpired until April 25, when 
a detail of seven men consisting of Sergt. S. W. 
Hamilton and Pvts. B. H. Werner, J. G. Desler, 
Carl Montague, J. D. Moffat, C. R. Piatt, and H. R. 
Fields left for Detroit to secure a number of Dodge 
trucks. Lieut. J. S. Curley was in command. The 
return overland was without mishap. A pleasant 
feature of the trip was the entertainment of the 
men by the people of Greensburg, Pa., Sergeant 
Hamilton's home, at an elaborate dinner in the 
First Presbyterian Church. The detail returned 
to Fort Myer, May 2. 

The preparation and packing of the Company's 
equipment for shipment overseas was an under- 
taking of no small magnitude and consumed con- 
siderable of the men's time. Sergt. W. F. Ueberle's 
extended experience in building and construction 
was of much value in this work of which he was 
in charge. Ninety boxes were built for the engi- 
neering equipment and thirty for the Company 
property in general. In addition, crates and boxes 
were constructed for eighteen Dodge trucks, four 



Dodge touring-cars, sixteen Pierce-Arrow trucks, 
and fifty motor-cycles. White pine and cypress, 
1 x 12, were used largely for the smaller boxes, 
and 1% x 12 cypress for the larger ones. All of 
the equipment was reinforced with 2%-angle iron 
braces welded together with oxyacetylene flame 
and again strengthened by three through-bolts. The 
angles were riveted to the timber. The smaller 
boxes were 1x2x4 feet and the larger 2x2x6 
feet. The wisdom of building these boxes and 
crates of unusual strength was amply justified 
in France, as the crude facilities for loading and 
unloading, especially in the devastated areas, sub- 
jected them to unusually rough handling. 

The Company left Fort Myer on May 4 for rifle 
practice at the Edsall Rifle Range at Edsall, Va. 
The trip was made by marching with full equip- 
ment and it was the first real hike taken. Con- 
sidering this fact, that the men were not as yet 
toughened to the service, the trip was made in 
good time. Lieut. George J. Kollock carried off 
the highest honors with a score of 257 out of a 
possible 300 and is the Company's only expert 
rifleman. Lieut. F. J. G. Reuter scored 240, thus 
winning the grade of sharpshooter. Captain Kelly 
qualified as marksman with a score of 229, as did 
twenty-five enlisted men. The individual classi- 
fication after the final expert contest was as 
follows : — 

STJMMAKY 

Officers Enlisted Men 

Expert Eiflemen 1 

Sharpshooters 1 

Marksmen 1 25 

Unqualified 3 254 

8 



NAME 


Classification 


Aggregate Score 


Lieut. G. J. Kollock . . 


E.E. 


257 


Lieut. F. J. Gr. Eeuter 


S.S. 


240 


Capt. J. T. Kelly, Jr. . 


Mksmn. 


229 


Pvts. S. W. Hamilton . 


a 


233 


C. A. Schilling . 


a 


230 


L. P. Daill . . 


u 


228 


0. S. Looney . . 


a 


226 


H. T. Snyder 


(i 


222 


George B. Bates 


(( 


219 


W. S. Wiley . . 


a 


219 


C. E. Nelson . . 


a 


217 


J. E. Newton . . 


a 


217 


C. N. Achenbach 


a 


216 


W. L. Bauer . . 


a 


216 


W. T. Ortman . . 


u 


215 


F. E. Willis . . . 


(i 


215 


H. A. Lane . . 


a 


214 


E. B. Plapp . . 


ft 


214 


Fred Becker . . 


(( 


213 


DeWitt F. Harris 


a 


212 


L. F. Hurd . . 


a 


212 


L. P. Walcher . 


a 


211 


L. J. Woltering 


u 


211 


D. E. YanVactor 


*( 


209 


W. J. McMillan 


a 


206 


E. L. Smith . . 


a 


206 


C. E. Piatt . . 


a 


205 


E. H. Eaton . . 


(( 


203 


W. J. Marks . , 


a 


202 



Announcement that First Lieut. P. R. Kiger had 
been attached to the Company was made on May 
8, and on May 24, the following non-commissioned 
officers were appointed as of May 20 : First 
Sergeant, O. S. Looney; Mess Sergeant, H. E. 
Kane ; Duty Sergeants, C. N. Achenbach, J. S. Gal- 

9 



lagher, H. E. Kleffel, J. K. Lnnd, F. C. Mezger, 
F. T. Miles, E. B. Plapp, W. F. Ueberle, and J. F. 
Zeile. 

Three important details left for the West on 
May 27 to obtain special instruction in tractor 
work. The first was assigned to the J. I. Case 
Threshing Machine Company at Kacine, Wis.; 
the second to the J. I. Case Plow Works and the 
Wallace Tractor Company at Kacine, Wis.; and 
the third to the International Harvester Company 
at Chicago. The details and command were as 
follows : — 

J. I. Case Threshing Machine Company 

Command Lieut. D. C. McClure 

Sergt. J. K. Lund 



Pvts. W. J. Broeker 
P. J. Cardinal 

E. V. Brown 

J. T. McNamara 
C. I. Bartlett 

F. J. Slipka 

C. J. Papousck 

D. F. Harris 
L. P. Walcher 
T. J. Hoffman 
C. B. Piatt 

L. S. Behman 

E. N. Knight 
Carl Montague 
C. M. Cassidy 
H. E. Fields 
A. E. Forsythe 



Thomas Dorrance 
H. B. Boehmer 
W. H. Bush 
E. H. Smith 
J. D. Orlando 
J. T. McDermott 

E. L. Smith 

J. A. Levering 
J. J. Cassidy 
James Gilmore 
J. H. McMahon 

F. C. DuSha 
D. F. Allen 

L. H. Andrews 
B. J. Eeed 
W. F. Andrews 
H. E. Gray 



10 



J. I. Case Plow Works 
Wallace Tractor Company 

Command Lieut. W. H. Bixby 

Corp. O. E. Seeger 

Pvts. Fred Lubecker C. Israel 

H. G. Benson C. A. Street 

J. Hague J. J. Clark 

G. Hall A. J. Mathews 
C. B. Joiner 

International Harvester Company 
Command Lieut. H. P. Fell 

Pvts. W. L. Morrison B. M. Sunn 

T. H. Dowd A. B. Veazie 

H. Elliason D. H. Wilkins 

V. Keifer A. G. Draham 

W. G. Meng L. E. Fry 

The men taking instruction at these different 
works were to completely familiarize themselves 
with tractor assembly and operation in order to 
serve as specialists in this field when the Company 
should arrive overseas. At the time, it was ex- 
pected that they would be detailed to Southern 
France or Italy. The detail in command of Lieu- 
tenant McClure was quartered and rationed by the 
J. I. Case Threshing Machine Company and during 
the course of training was frequently entertained 
and shown many courtesies. The detail enjoyed a 
trip to Milwaukee, a banquet at the Plankinton 
House in that city and afterwards attended the 
Majestic Theatre as guests of the Case Company. 
The course of training included lectures, shop and 

11 



field practice, very much abridged because of the 
limited time, nevertheless sufficient in scope to give 
the men, already expert mechanics, a very good 
working knowledge of the tractors. 

A detail in command of Lieutenant Bixby of D 
Company was quartered at the Kacine College 
gymnasium and messed with the students of that 
institution. The men enjoyed every possible com- 
fort and courtesy at the hands of the authorities. 
A lecture supplemented by practice in setting up 
ploughs, tractor assembly, and operation was given 
by the J. I. Case Plow Works and the Wallace 
Tractor Company. More extensive shop work had 
been planned, but had to be abandoned owing to 
the expiration of the time allotted. 

The third detail, under the command of First 
Lieutenant Fell, spent about ten days at the works 
of the International Harvester Company at Chi- 
cago, and a somewhat similar course of training 
was taken by these men to that in the other two 
details. The major portion of the time was given 
over, however, to lectures on internal-combustion 
engines, especially those burning kerosene. The 
men were quartered at the McCormick Club, and 
every effort was made by the Harvester Company 
to make their stay enjoyable. 

On June 2, First Lieut. D. C. McClure, who had 
been in command of one of the Racine details, was 
definitely assigned to the Company. He came to 
this organization from the 314th Engineers of the 
89 th Division in training at Camp Funs ton.. First 
Lieut. R. W. Reynolds, who had been attached to 
F Company as executive officer, was assigned to 
E Company at the same time, and First Lieut. F. G. 
Beckman was transferred to Company F. First 

12 



Lieut. F. J. G. Reuter was transferred from this 
Company on June 6, and First Lieut. P. R. Kiger 
relieved of duty. 

One of the most vivid incidents of the stay at 
Fort Myer occurred on June 14, when all troops in 
training there were ordered out to capture an es- 
caped prisoner. The order came while Company 
E was out in drill formation. The men proceeded 
at double time to the Rosslyn-Clarendon road and 
deployed from Clarendon towards the river. Spe- 
cial patrols were sent out on either side of the road 
to beat the bushes. Reports giving information as 
to the location of the prisoner at different times 
were conflicting. The search between Fort Myer 
and the Clarendon road having been futile, Captain 
Kelly took his command across the Potomac, de- 
ployed again, and searched the fields and woods 
between Georgetown and the Chain Bridge with- 
out results. Another thorough hunt between this 
bridge and Rosslyn failed to locate the prisoner. 
The Company then returned to camp, where a 
dance had been scheduled for the evening. A rumor 
to the effect that the location of the prisoner had 
been definitely determined caused a sudden inter- 
ruption of the party. Twenty volunteers were 
wanted to leave by motor-truck, but nearly double 
the number were on hand for the trip. Later in 
the evening, the whole Company was ordered out 
for guard and patrol work. The men marched to 
Rosslyn, but a change in orders brought them back 
to Fort Myer, where they walked post along the 
reservation line for the remainder of the night and 
a portion of the following day. The prisoner had 
made good his escape, much to the disgust of the 
whole Company, for it had been a long and hard 

13 



twenty-four-hour grind, with no sleep, but little 
food, and fast hiking and double-timing, frequently 
over a difficult terrain. 

The skirmish practice on the drill grounds dur- 
ing the early part of June was supplemented by a 
tactical problem on June 17 in which Company E 
successfully defended the Alexander County 
Schoolhouse against the assaults of Companies D 
and F and a detachment of fifty men from the 
38th Engineers. The scene of the struggle was 
along the Rosslyn-Clarendon road. Captain Kelly, 
by brilliant strategy, harassed the enemy constantly 
in its advance. One of the master strokes was the 
destruction of a bridge by a patrol in command of 
Lieutenant McClure, thus greatly impeding the 
enemy's advance at this point. 

While E Company's troops on the battle-line 
were savagely contesting every inch of ground 
given, Sergeant Mezger gained valuable military 
information by capturing an enemy spy who was 
operating from a telephone in E Company's terri- 
tory. The Sergeant impersonated the spy over the 
telephone and received important facts regarding 
the enemy's plans which he communicated to the 
Captain. The platoon of Lieutenant Kollock was 
in reserve and intrenched near the schoolhouse, 
and he had orders to hold this position at all costs. 
The Company's advanced troops were gradually 
forced back. Heavy losses were suffered during 
this retirement to the final position where they 
were to make a last stand. By exploding a series 
of ten mines in the ravine at the foot of the hill 
up which the enemy attempted to advance, great 
numbers of the opposing forces were destroyed 
and those remaining were annihilated by rifle fire. 

14 



The absence of lead in the cartridges introduced 
many humorous situations. Lieutenant Beckman 
with his platoon attempted to cross through an 
open space to some woods under exceedingly heavy 
and concentrated rifle fire, but was disqualified 
because of the intensity of this fire on the close 
order formation. He and his men were officially 
annihilated. Major Keplinger, the head umpire, 
awarded the victory to Company E. 

Another contest of similar nature was waged 
a few days later with the attacking and defending 
forces reversed. Lieutenant Daly lost quite a body 
of men in this contest, who were disqualified be- 
cause they had crossed a cultivated field in their 
impetuous advance. This battle resulted in a draw. 

By the middle of June, the Company had been 
rounded out in good shape. Battalion parades were 
held almost every evening on the parade-grounds, 
and generally a large number of spectators were 
on hand. An effort was made to form a battalion 
band, many of the members of which were from E 
Company, but the idea had to be abandoned. It 
was decided that more than likely the Battalion 
would be so scattered upon its arrival in France 
that a band could not be maintained as a useful 
unit. The decision was justified by the subsequent 
events. 

The Company was handling its share of guard 
duty in a creditable manner — and it should be 
mentioned that guard duty at Fort Myer must be 
of the best. That post is one of Uncle Sam's show 
posts, it being so close to the capital, and subject 
to constant visits from foreign officers and diplo- 
mats. In their zeal to not only have an efficient 
guard, but one whose orders were to be obeyed 

15 



to the letter, the men sometimes overstepped them- 
selves a bit. .Corporal VanVactor was disciplined 
because, in his efforts to accelerate the speed of 
a surly colored trooper to 120 paces, while en route 
to the guard-house, the Corporal used the persua- 
sive powers of his bayonet. Other guard duty of 
a more local sort yet none the less severe was the 
watching of the garbage and ash receptacles. Gar- 
bage was not garbage any more in its old sense. 
There were as many cans for the different varie- 
ties as there are sorts of food on the army bill-of- 
f are ; and it was a serious matter should a cigarette 
stub be mixed with the potato peelings. The exper- 
imental work being carried on to prevent waste 
in army camps was at the bottom of this garbage 
separation; but it was difficult for the guards to 
understand just how they were fighting for their 
country by standing for hours at a time before a 
long row of immaculate cans, with one eye glued 
on the cans and the other on the alley for approach- 
ing officers. 

A tremendous amount of tedious and trying work 
was involved in the administrative, supply, and 
mess routines of the Company at Fort Myer, and 
the personnel of these forces was as follows : — 

Orderly Boom 

Lieut. J. S. Cnrley, Administrative Officer. 
Pvts. Sam Baker, Company Clerk 

F. L. Cervenka, Stenographer. 

W. H. Winslow, Assistant. 

W. A. Bylancl, Assist?ait. 

F. S. Salclienberger, Assistant. 

W. M. Beid, Mail Clerk. 

16 



Supply Office 

Lieut. W. F. Daly, Supply Officer. 
Pvts. T. J. Collinson, Supply Clerk. 

F. A. McDerniott, Assistant. 

F. E. Willis, Assistant. 

A. H. Chaufouraux, Assistant. 

Mess 

Lieut. Gr. J. Kollock, Mess Officer. 
Sergt. H. E. Kane, Mess Sergeant. 

Cooks, O. M. Hargitt, N. Cole, E. O. Audsley, O. J. Blein, 
and D. J. Dosey. 

The monotony of camp routine was suddenly 
broken on June 27, when Captain Kelly issued 
an order that the Company be ready for departure 
within twenty-four hours. The men realized that 
the long-looked-for journey to France was at hand, 
and went after the remaining work to be done 
with unusual vigor. They worked all that day and 
night and through the following day, and at 5 p.m. 
fell into company formation for the last time at 
Fort Myer. Although the Battalion was moying 
under secret orders, many people greeted the troops 
in their march to Rosslyn and at the depot, for it 
seemed well understood that the men were enter- 
ing the first stage of a journey which was to land 
them in the battle-torn districts of Europe. The 
Company entrained in coaches at Eosslyn and left 
at 8.30 p.m. for Jersey City. The enrolment showed 
259 men. After a restless night in the coaches, 
they detrained at Jersey City at 7 a.m., June 29, 
and, after successfully passing the final physical 
examination, crossed by ferry to New York City 

17 



and embarked aboard H.M.S. Mauretania at 11.45 

A.M. 

Upon disembarking from the ferry and before 
going aboard ship, the men received coffee, cake, 
and cigarettes from the women of the Red Cross. 
"Safe Arrival" postal cards and writing-paper 
were also distributed. This was the Company's 
second introduction to "The Greatest Mother in 
the World/' for back at Fort Myer the good women 
of the Red Cross from the Alexandria, Va., unit 
were daily sewing and doing other kindnesses for 
the men over at the Y. M. C. A. The Company had 
yet to witness the untiring devotion of the members 
of this organization at the front and in the hos- 
pitals, where, at times, almost unsurmountable ob- 
stacles were overcome to offer that unselfish service 
which has endeared the organization to the heart 
of every soldier. Even during the preliminary re- 
connaissance work engaged in by this Company in 
Germany, when the nature of the reception to be 
given Americans was problematical, the men found 
the Red Cross far in advance of the marching col- 
umns preparing their canteens and supply bases. 



18 



CHAPTER II 

The Mauritania, which before the war was one 
of the most luxuriously appointed of the ocean 
liners, had been converted for transport use, and 
every available inch of space was utilized for carry- 
ing troops. Bunks had been built three tiers high 
in the great dining and lounging rooms, and the 
men were packed in like sardines in a box. The 
precautions necessary on account of submarine 
attack were many. Port-holes were painted over, 
and closed after dark, as were the skylights and 
other openings through which any light might 
show. As a result there was but little ventilation. 
Conditions were especially bad deep in the ship. 
Company E was fortunate in having quarters on 
the upper deck. Approximately 7,800 troops were 
aboard. 

With mingled feelings of gladness and sadness 
the men lined the decks of the great leviathan as 
she moved slowly out into the North River at 10.35 
a.m.,, June 30, turned with the assistance of a num- 
ber of tugs, and steamed down the bay. The salute 
at the Statue of Liberty was particularly impres- 
sive and had special significance for all. Few of 
the men had any idea of the seriousness or the 
horrors of war and at this stage felt more as if 
they were beginning a great adventure. The future 
had much of suffering and death in store for many 
on board. 

19 



Commander Johnson and Captain Rostrom were 
the principal ship officers, and Colonel Dillon the 
commanding officer of the troops. The gnard duty 
aboard ship was assigned to the different com- 
panies of the Second Battalion of the 37th, and 
the strictest precaution was observed to have the 
established rules of passage enforced. Immediately 
upon leaving port, life-preservers were issued with 
instructions that they be worn at all times, and the 
seriousness of showing lights of any kind after dark 
was impressed upon all. Sergt. Ross Dillow was 
publicly commended by Colonel Dillon for diligence 
on duty, for detecting a light shining from an ob- 
scure point on board, which would have endangered 
the safety of the ship. Life-boats were kept clear 
and ready for immediate use, and detailed instruc- 
tions issued for the routing and marching of the 
different troops to their boat positions. Daily life- 
boat drill was held, beginning immediately after 
leaving port. Calls to the drills were made by 
bugle. Many other precautions were also taken 
to prevent unnecessary loss of life in case of sub- 
marine attack. Commander Johnson expressed 
himself as highly pleased with the manner in which 
the Battalion had handled the guard. He stated 
that it could well serve as a model for future trips, 
and took special pains to familiarize himself, 
through the guard officers, concerning the routine 
which had been carried out. 

Off Coney Island Light, a destroyer picked up 
the Mauretania and she proceeded to sea with this 
lone escort. Submarines were operating off the 
coast of the United States at the time, and the 
presence of the little lighting craft lent an added 
sense of security. During the first few days out 

20 



the sea was as calm as a mill-pond, and the greater 
portion of the men's time was consumed in stand- 
ing in line. The crowded conditions of the boat 
and the limited accommodations for bathing and 
eating necessitated forming in line for everything. 
Several hours would be consumed in the ordinary 
toilet routine, and in order to get anything at the 
canteen, which was opened after a few days at sea, 
one had to follow a sinuous line stretched out over 
several decks. During these days of idleness, abun- 
dant opportunity was afforded to give vent to every 
grievance against food, accommodations, and the 
war in general ; and speculation was rife as to the 
date of return. Some lively boxing bouts between 
men of the different companies of the 37th helped 
pass many of the idle hours. These were frequently 
witnessed by Commander Johnson and Colonel 
Dillon. 

An impromptu entertainment was held in the 
first-cabin saloon on the Fourth of July, for the 
benefit of the officers and the United States Army 
nurses aboard. It was a delightful affair. Short 
talks were made appropriate to the occasion, and 
the national airs of both the United States and 
Great Britain were sung. In the afternoon a con- 
cert was given, for the non-commissioned officers 
especially, although it was attended by all of the 
cabin passengers, and at that time subscriptions 
were taken for the benefit of the Seamen's Charities. 
The programme was as follows : — 



21 



Programme 

"Drink to Me Only With 

Thine Eyes" . . . Members Hospital Unit 28 

Violin Solo Master Engineer Brereton, 37th 

Engineers 

Double Quartet . . . Members Hospital Unit 28 

Bass Solo Sergeant Vann, 37th Engineers 

Reading Tina Sego, Hospital Unit 28 

Chairman's Address 

Instrumental Quintet . Corporal Baldwin, Privates Cook, 

Hall, Henke, and Hager, 37th 
Engineers 

Tenor Solo Private Henke, 37th Engineers 

Male Quartet .... Members 37th Engineers 

Violin Solo . . . . . Private d'Auray, 37th Engineers 

Medley Members Hospital Unit 28 

"The Star- Spangled 
Banner" and "God 
Save the King" . . Audience 

Among the men in general, the day was quite 
uneventful. No noticeable effort was made by the 
Steward to serve an elaborate menu to the mess 
line on that memorable occasion. There seemed 
to be a general sentiment among all that the cele- 
bration of the Declaration of Independence on 
board a British ship presented a rather delicate 
situation and that good taste would suppress any 
too great manifestations of the real spirit of the 
day. It had been said that the Kaiser had boast- 
fully proclaimed Ms intention of "getting" the 
Mauretania on the Fourth of July. There must 
have been some hitch in his plans, however, for 
the great ship escaped. 

The destroyer which had served as escort for 

22 



several hundred miles returned to port the second 
day, and the Mauretania proceeded unescorted 
through mid-ocean into the danger zone off the 
coast of Ireland. Life-boats were overhauled, in- 
structions issued to the men to carry their canteens 
filled with water, and the crew watches were 
doubled. At 5.20 a.m. on the morning of July 5, 
a submarine was sighted. The visibility was very 
poor, but the U-boat was seen on the surface of 
the water by many about 1,800 yards to the star- 
board. This range was given to the gunners by 
the Captain, with orders to make ready. The helm 
was thrown sharply over and the great vessel re- 
sponded with a lurch which threw many passengers 
to the deck and tipped the boat to an angle of 
almost forty-five degrees. Meanwhile the sub- 
marine had submerged, and by the time the guns 
had been adjusted and the stern rail removed, it 
was deemed inadvisable by the Captain to fire. It 
is likely that the submarine was taken by surprise 
and could not submerge and manoeuvre into firing 
position before it was left far astern. The zig- 
zagging which had been practised by the Maure- 
tania since leaving port became more frequent, and 
the angles of turning more acute, as she entered 
the danger zone. The submarine scare lent addi- 
tional interest to the life-boat drills, and every one 
was on the qui vive. Although intense excitement 
reigned on board when the presence of the sub- 
marine became known, there was no disorder. 

At three o'clock in the afternoon of July 6, the 
British flag was broken from the hindmast and 
soon after five destroyers vomiting great clouds 
of dense, black smoke appeared on the horizon at 
different points and steamed at high speed to the 

23 



Mauretania. After the customary exchange of sig- 
nals and courtesies, the little guardians, all of 
which were American, arranged themselves in for- 
mation for scouting and direct protection and ac- 
companied the Mauretania to Liverpool. As dark- 
ness approached, there was something very impres- 
sive about the scene with the great four-stacked 
monster ploughing along, its safety now well guar- 
anteed, and the destroyers dashing here and there 
scouring the sea for the enemy. 

Orders were given the men to sleep in their 
clothing, with life-belts on, and the following morn- 
ing, about ten o'clock, the south coast of Ireland 
was dimly visible. All of the romance associated 
with the Emerald Isle seemed srone. Those who 
neared the coast of Ireland during the war were 
not thinking of the glamour of the songs and leg- 
ends, and thatched cottages. The Irish Sea was 
the favorite hunting-grounds of the German sea 
pirates, and a burial-place of many thousands who 
had gone down to their death as a result of this 
savage and cowardly method of attack. As the 
coast was neared, a small patrol airship and a 
hydroaeroplane sailed out to meet the ship. A 
great British submarine passed on the surface to 
the starboard. It was indeed a motley collection 
of war-craft which guarded and piloted the Maure- 
tania across the Irish Sea and into Liverpool Har- 
bor. Port was reached about 9.30 in the evening. 
Many warships and other craft were passed on the 
way up the Channel. Anchor was dropped off 
Brighton Beach for the night. The passage was 
made in seven days and eleven hours. 

At 3.20 the following afternoon, the troops dis- 
embarked, and marched through a blinding rain to 

24 



H 
Q 
O 

3 




the Bootle Station of the London and Northwestern 
Railroad. In spite of the inclement weather, the 
people turned out in great numbers to cheer the 
men on their way. At the depot, a British band 
played a number of patriotic selections, and a per- 
sonal message from King George was distributed 
to each soldier, welcoming him in the name of the 
sovereign. The troops boarded special trains con- 
sisting of third-class compartment-cars and began 
the journey to Southampton. The day had cleared, 
and an opportunity was afforded of seeing rural 
England at her best. Everywhere the people 
greeted the soldiers most cordially with cheers and 
the waving of flags and handkerchiefs. The Ameri- 
can flag was frequently inverted on the pole and 
lacking in stars and stripes, but that was not im- 
portant so long as the spirit was there. Women 
garbed in overalls were working in the fields, shops, 
and railroad yards; convalescent soldiers in con- 
spicuous light blue and red uniforms could be seen 
in every village; and many other indirect effects 
of the war were noticeable. The route passed via 
Birmingham and Oxford to Southampton, which 
was reached at 1.30 a.m., July 9. 

The Company marched out to a British rest- 
camp on the outskirts of the city, about four miles 
from the point of detrainment. That afternoon 
the men again shouldered their packs at 3.30 and 
marched through the streets of Southampton to the 
water front. Company E was assigned to the 
little channel boat, the Antrim. She steamed out 
past the two guardian forts of the port entrance 
through the Channel net and came to anchor tem- 
porarily with many other steamers awaiting orders 
from the Admiralty. 

25 




26 



Darkness was setting in. Formidable destroyers 
of the latest British type steamed here and there 
flashing signal lights, while numerous searchlights 
played on the water. Although the Antrim left 
her pier at 7.30, it was nearly eleven o'clock before 
one of the destroyers, built up like a miniature 
battleship, headed for the open sea and the Antrim 
followed. It is probable that there was less danger 
from submarine attack in the English Channel at 
this point than in the Irish Sea, yet every one was 
filled with apprehension, which was intensified by 
the inadequate provisions for life-saving aboard and 
the manner in which the men were jammed into 
every corner of the ship like rats in a trap. Deep 
in the hold they slept, lying across one another 
or standing in groups. The stench was almost 
unbearable. The men in the fore part of the hold 
were nearly thrown into a state of panic by a mys- 
terious rumble and roar which they took to be a 
submarine attack, but which was quickly explained. 
It was the lowering of the anchor. The memory of 
this crossing will linger long with the Company as 
a terrible nightmare. 

Cherbourg was reached about 5.30 a.m v July 10, 
and the Company disembarked at 8.30. It pro- 
ceeded by marching to a British rest-camp some 
distance from the city, where an opportunity was 
afforded to enjoy some much-needed sleep and rest. 
The camp was located very near the charming cha- 
teau of Tourlaville, where Dumas resided at one 
time. It is said that he wrote "The Three Muske- 
teers" while living there. It was not until after the 
men began to feel half human again that they awak- 
ened to the full significance of the fact that they 
were in France, — the France they had read of and 



27 



sung about, the land of "Somewhere." On the even- 
ing of July 11, after enjoying a good rest, the Bat- 
talion went out for a leisure-hike over the hills 
about Cherbourg, to a point where a wonderful 
panoramic view of the city, harbor, and sea could 
be obtained. All the prominent points are heavily 
fortified. Rugged cliffs and mountains rise high 
above the city on three sides, sheltering it from the 
storms. On the way back to camp, the men stopped 
for a short time outside of one of the harbor forts, 
but were not permitted to enter it. 

About ten o'clock on the morning of July 12, the 
Company left the rest-camp, and proceeded by 
marching to Cherbourg, and entrained aboard box 
cars of the "40 Hommes — 8 Chevaux" type, with 
which they were to become more familiar as time 
went on. These cars were used almost exclusively 
in France for the transportation of troops on the 
railroads. Heavy seats were built in for about 
thirty men, but with rifles, packs, and other equip- 
ment, there was scarcely room to move. At night, 
conditions were especially bad, for if a few stretched 
out, the remainder were obliged to either sleep 
across them or get no sleep at all. This mode of 
travelling became very tiresome after several nights 
and days of it. 

The train pulled out of Cherbourg at noon of the 
12th and passed through the low, undulating 
meadowland country of Normandy. Cattle grazed 
everywhere and it was all highly bred stock. Little 
wonder that this section of France has built up a 
world-wide reputation for its cheese and other dairy 
products. The route was through Valognes, Caren- 
tan, Le Molay, Littry, Caen, Mezidon, and Bernay 
to Nantes. The rations consisted of corned beef, 

28 



hardtack, jam, and also coffee, whenever an oppor- 
tunity was afforded for preparing it. 

The following morning at ten o'clock the journey 
towards Paris was resumed. As the famous Eiffel 
Tower came into view, every one crowded to the 
doors to view Paris. Corp. R. V. Loughran, in his 
enthusiasm, while standing in the open doorway 
and peering across the car, neglected to take suf- 
ficient precautions and was jolted out. The train 
was moving slowly, but it took some time to get 
word to the engineer that there was a man over- 
board. Aside from being badly bruised, the Cor- 
poral suffered no serious injuries. His real suffer- 
ing was to come later. Noisy -le- Sec, in the suburbs 
of Paris, was reached about four o'clock in the 
afternoon, and the night was passed in the yards. 
The following morning at eleven o'clock, after the 
usual rations had been served, the trip was re- 
sumed, the train passing by Chaumont, General 
Pershing's headquarters, and Langres to Is-sur- 
Tille. At Langres, Colonel Dillon, his staff and 
headquarters company transferred to a train for 
Neufchateau. 

The Company went into camp at Camp Williams, 
across the Tille River from Is-sur-Tille. This camp 
was one of the largest of the American base engi- 
neering depots between the coast and the front. The 
Company was quartered in a large warehouse. A 
more unsatisfactory or dirty place could hardly 
be imagined than that assigned. The water and 
mess were a half-mile away. The warehouse had 
formerly been used for cement storage, and the 
floor was covered with a thick layer of cement dust 
in which the packs were unrolled. Cement dust 
was in everything, including the eyes, ears, nose, 

29 



and mouth. The men would have been much more 
content out in the open somewhere with their "pup" 
tents — anywhere away from that cement dust. 
Water was finally piped to the warehouse, and 
a company mess established across the tracks, but 
there seemed to be no escape from the cement, so 
the men settled down to their appointed tasks re- 
signedly. 

From July 16 to 24, the Battalion was engaged 
in stevedore work. Being new at the game of the 
soldier, the men had not come to realize at that 
time that the slogan, "Join the Engineers and Fol- 
low your Trade !" had a touch of humor in it and 
was simply good advertising for the officers who 
had been about the country getting expert trades- 
men and technical men for the regiment. They 
should have seen that this action was entirely 
justified by the old saying that "all is fair in love 
and war." The days passed quickly, however, and 
although the work done required strong backs, the 
men juggled the heavy rails and beams around as 
cheerfully as a section crew working in the yards 
at the time, a crew of colored stevedores. Their 
corporal knew that music was the soul of them, so 
he furnished the music and they did the work in 
perfect rhythm, joining in the choruses. 

Gas-masks were issued on July 19, after which 
gas-mask drill became a regular part of the daily 
routine. Enfield rifles were supplied on July 21 
to those not already furnished with them. After 
what might have been considered a fairly good 
day's work in the yards, the Company fell in every 
evening for drill. No parade-ground was avail- 
able, but the men picked their way through the 
ploughed fields in some sort of a showing at "Squads 

30 



East and West!" The only electrical work per- 
formed was the installation of a gasolene motor- 
generator set for the lighting of the Engineers' 
offices in the yards. A feature of the stay, however, 
was the battalion parade on July 21. This was 
the first parade ever held at Camp Williams and 
attracted considerable attention. The 24th Engi- 
neers Band, which was in process of formation at 
the time, and not experienced in parade work, 
assisted materially. At the familiar command 
"Pass in Review !" the boys stepped out in the old 
Fort Myer form and created a favorable impression. 

The sojourn at Camp Williams was of short 
duration, and at 8 p.m., July 24, the Company 
entrained in third-class coaches at the camp depot 
and left for an unknown destination. The route 
was via Chaumont, Troyes, Noisy-le-Sec to La 
Ferte-sous- Jouarre. At Paris, the men learned that 
they were going towards Chateau-Thierry and into 
the war zone, and every one was thrilled with the 
prospect of getting to the real scene of action so 
soon after arrival in France. 

The trip out of Paris along the historic valley 
of the Marne was wonderfully interesting, and the 
men were greeted with enthusiasm everywhere 
along the route. Praise was on the lips of every 
one for the Americans, for it was the 2d and 3d 
Divisions that on June 3 halted the Huns in their 
great onslaught towards Paris, and who with other 
American units advanced in the face of furious 
attacks in the region of Chateau-Thierry when Mar- 
shal Foch launched his counter-offensive on July 18 
which resulted ultimately in the enemy suing for 
peace. 

The company train arrived at La Ferte-sous- 

31 



Jouarre at 4.30 p.m., July 26. There was no traffic 
on the railroad towards Chateau-Thierry beyond 
this point. The night was passed at the Y. M. C. A. 
warehouse and headquarters, and the following 
morning the Company took up billets at Saint- 
Martins, a little village about a kilometre from La 
Ferte and in the adjacent settlements along the 
stream Le Petit Morin. One platoon was quar- 
tered in an old mill which had been converted 
into a studio by the sculptress Fanny Marc, and 
which was occupied for a time in 1914 by the Ger- 
man Crown Prince. It was a most picturesque 
spot. 

General Morrow, Chief Engineer of the First 
Army, established his headquarters at La Ferte 
about the time that E Company arrived there. 
Colonel Dillon of the 37th was associated with 
him as Assistant Chief Engineer, and Lieutenant- 
Colonel Eandall as Electrical and Mechanical Offi- 
cer. Captain Kelly, Lieutenant McClure, and Lieu- 
tenant Kollock were also attached to General Mor- 
row's staff at the time. Lieutenant Reynolds was 
on detached service in connection with regimental 
supplies. 

E Company was attached to the Chief Engineer's 
office and took care of the electrical and mechanical 
requirements, particularly of the First Army, dur- 
ing its memorable advance. The company head- 
quarters were maintained at La Ferte until the 
conclusion of the first phase of this drive and the 
Army moved into the Saint-Mihiel sector. One of 
the first duties of E Company was to overhaul 
and prepare for occupancy the old chateau which 
was to serve as Engineers' headquarters. The men 
were without tools or material at that time and 

32 



were considerably handicapped. Sergeant Mezger, 
who with Corporal McDonald was in charge of 
the electrical work, managed somehow to complete 
a very satisfactory job. Sergeant Ueberle suffered 
for the same reason in his efforts to construct a 
lot of office furniture, but he and his detail were 
resourceful enough to get what they required. It 
was not until the Company was in quarters at 
Marbache in the Saint-Mihiel sector that the tools 
and material finally arrived. 

The drive on the Marne above Chateau-Thierry 
was at its height when Company E arrived at La 
Ferte. Long lines of ambulances were passing 
through on their way to the base hospitals in the 
vicinity of Paris. It was considered desirable to 
evacuate some of the wounded by river steamer, 
and Lieutenant McClure was commissioned to con- 
struct a pier at or near Chateau-Thierry to serve 
as a loading-place for the boats. A small river- 
barge was taken up the Marne from La Ferte by 
a detail in charge of Sergeant Gallagher, and on 
August 1, Sergeant Ueberle with another detail 
anchored the barge to the ruins of an old bridge 
at Azy and then built a platform from the shore 
to the barge, a distance of about thirty feet. This 
detail, besides Sergeant Ueberle, consisted of Corp. 
J. L. Dixon and Pvts. J. K. Lund, H. O. Darrow, 
M. C. Larrabee, R. Fabiana, and B. L. Coffil. 
Master Engineer T. M. Victory assisted in the 
work. 

Before the Company could get into much active 
work, it was necessary to get means of transporta- 
tion. Details were sent out for this purpose, and 
the first to leave was in command of Lieutenant 
Daly, and consisted of Sergeant Hamilton and Pvts. 

33 




34 



D. F. Allen, L. H. Andrews, H. W. Bloomquist, 
H. C. Boehnier, R. V. Brown, D. F. Harris, C. B. 
Joiner, T. Dorrance, J. G. Desler, W. V. Lace, F. 
Lubecker, J. T. McDermott, J. J. McNamara, J. D. 
Moffatt, C. Montague, J. H. Payne, L. S. Rehman, 
B. H. Werner, and H. C. Brown. The detail left 
on the morning of July 31 by train for Paris, and 
there transferred for a through train to Le Havre, 
arriving there about ten o'clock at night. The jour- 
ney down the Seine was largely by daylight and 
particularly interesting in the vicinity of Rouen. 
Beyond there, the rugged hill-country melts away 
into a rolling farm-country devoted largely to 
wheat-raising, dairying, and fruit-growing. There 
had been no "apple-blossom time in Normandy" 
that spring, however, for a heavy frost had ruined 
practically all the fruit, not only in Normandy, 
but all through Northern and Central France. 

The detail was quartered in the British Docks 
Rest-Camp, and that night was called out by an 
enemy air-raid. This was the first experience of 
this sort most of the detail had had, and the anti- 
aircraft barrage and the whizz and bursting of the 
bombs near the depot, not far away, caused a great 
deal of excitement. Most of the men lay down along 
the rails in the yards, but a few managed to find the 
trenches which had been built for the purpose. The 
raid caused considerable loss of life and damage to 
property. 

On August 2 the detail moved over to the truck 
reception park and waited there until the trucks 
should be ready, the men passing their leisure time 
in seeing Le Havre or loafing along the rocky beach. 
The return trip was begun August 4, and the convoy 
consisted of four Pierce- Arrow five-ton trucks and 

35 



three small Dodge trucks. Some time was spent in 
Rouen searching for the gas-station. The city was 
in the rear of the British sector, and, the day being 
Sunday, the streets were crowded with British 
troops interspersed with a few Belgian soldiers. 
Men from India in turbans, Australians with their 
peculiar cocked hats, Scotchmen in kilts, — all were 
promenading or enjoying themselves about the 
cafes, forgetting, for a time at least, the great strug- 
gle raging only a few miles away. 

The truck convoy passed the night at an old 
quarry, where it was most hospitably entertained 
by the owners, after which it proceeded to Paris. 
As the city was approached, intermittent firing was 
heard, and this twenty kilometres distant. It was 
the work of the Hun "Big Bertha." Camp was 
made at Motor Truck Park No. 2, and the great 
shell continued to burst until long after dark. They 
were falling in scattered localities and none very 
near the camp. This shelling was resumed during 
the following day. Some of the men who were 
about the city stated that business seemed to be 
going on very much as usual. The streets were 
crowded, as were the cafes. The majority of the 
men in Paris at the time had already received their 
christening of shell-fire, and the women, those who 
had not experienced it near the front or through 
bombing raids, were not of the sort to be terrorized 
by such murderous work. The bombardment only 
intensified their hatred. Most of the monuments 
and other works of art and places of historic inter- 
est about the city were protected by sand-bags. 

The convoy left Paris, August 6, and passed up 
the Marne Valley to Meaux, where the night was 
spent, and the following morning, went on into 

36 



La Ferte-sous- Jouarre. This detail had seen a great 
section of France by motor-truck, had experienced 
an air raid, and been under fire from "Big Bertha" 
in Paris, — it was a trip filled with variety and in- 
terest. 

Just before the return of this detail from Le 
Havre, two important details went out from La 
Ferte to salvage a power line running between 
Chateau-Thierry and Epernay which had almost 
been completely destroyed by shell-fire. One group 
of the men was in charge of Sergt. C. C. Lee and 
worked from Epernay towards Chateau-Thierry. 
The other was in charge of Corporal VanVactor and 
worked eastward to meet Sergeant Lee. 

The detail to Epernay left La Ferte, August 4, 
and consisted of Cook D. J. Dosey and Pvts. W. J. 
Paterson, M. Kupetz, L. Achtezehn, W. D. Meng, 
Lynn Lemons, W. F. Finn, O. D. Libby, Ted Sulli- 
van, J. Anderson, K. S. King, A. Veazie, W. H. 
Rush, S. E. Roper, and J. R. Brown. The trip to 
Epernay was made by motor-truck, and camp made 
on a hill outside of the city, on account of the fact 
that the city was being bombed nearly every night. 
However, the next day some cellars that were fairly 
safe were located in town, and the men moved in. 
They began work rolling up the broken wire and 
straightening the poles still left standing — in gen- 
eral, doing such preliminary work as was possible 
with the tools at hand to put the line in shape for 
reconstruction. Engineers meanwhile were survey- 
ing and making estimates for the rebuilding. On 
August 7 the detail moved down to Vermeuil, much 
to the satisfaction of the men, for the cellars at 
Epernay were infested with rats and other vermin. 
On August 9 the work was completed and the men 

37 



returned to La Ferte. The other detail, in, charge 
of Corporal VanVactor, left La Ferte also on Au- 
gust i, and consisted of Cook O. J. Blein and Pvts. 
Vaughn Keifer, T. F. Ackerman, C. A. Street, 
W. S. Wiley, A. A. Wells, E. O. Haymart, O. G. 
Halowell, E. McMonigal, H. C. Birsinger, E. J. 
Thompson, S. H. Tanner, F. J. Beavers, John 
Walden, E. L. Rice, H. R. Bloxam, E. N. Knight, 
A. L. Webster, F. C. Burmaster, C. M. Stevens, and 
Frank Mayer. This detail went into billets in resi- 
dences in Chateau-Thierry, which recently had been 
occupied by the Germans. 

That portion of the city on the east side of the 
Marne was almost completely in ruins, but the west 
side was not so seriously damaged. Some work 
was done on a partially destroyed gas-producer 
plant, after which the men set to work repairing 
the sub-station which had been struck by a shell. 
They then worked up along the Marne, salvaging 
the power line towards Epernay. Many bodies of 
dead Germans, mules, and horses were still where 
they had fallen. No effort had been made as yet to 
clean up after the desperate battles of a few days 
before, and it was a sickening sight to witness all 
the destruction and desolation in the wake of the re- 
treating Germans. The salvaging work was com- 
pleted August 11, and the detail returned to La 
Ferte. 

The first detail to go far into the advanced zone 
left La Ferte, August 6, under the command of Cap- 
tain Kelly, and consisted of Sergeant Mezger, Cor- 
poral McDonald, and Pvts. E. G. Pokorny, W. J. 
Sanford, O. G. Martin, H. Knodle, Carl Swanson, 
F. L. McDermott, C. V. Wilbur, O. S. Smith, R. J. 
Bennett, T. E. Hayburn, and L. L. Cain. This 

38 



detail was charged with wiring the First Army 
Corps advanced headquarters at Fere-en-Tardenois 
and installing a 1%-k.w. gasolene motor-generator 
set. The country traversed was much as it had 
been left by the fast-retreating Germans. Thou- 
sands of bodies were as yet unburied. A goodly 
portion of the American and French dead had been 
gathered at different points where cemeteries were 
being prepared. The bodies of horses and mules 
were strewn everywhere. 

The German lines were only a short distance 
beyond Fere-en-Tardenois. The detail arrived 
about 5 p.m. and at 8 p.m. had the power plant in- 
stalled and four buildings lighted. At eleven 
o'clock the installation was completed. The next 
day the small generator set was changed for a 5-k.w. 
set and the detail returned to La Ferte. The shell- 
ing at Fere-en-Tardenois became so violent that the 
detail was recalled on August 8 to remove the equip- 
ment, should it finally be decided to move the head- 
quarters location. Meanwhile, however, the dough- 
boys had ferreted out the German artillery which 
had been causing all the trouble, and the bombard- 
ment ceased. Privates Swanson and Wilbur, who 
were left to operate the power plant, worked under 
heavy shelling the night of August 7 and August 8, 
but escaped uninjured. 

The second-truck detail left La Ferte on August 
8, under command of Second Lieutenant Daly, for 
Paris, where the detail was split into three groups. 
They set out respectively for Saint-Nazaire, Tours, 
and Bordeaux. The personnel of each group was 
as follows : — 



39 



Saint-Nazaire 



Sergt. S. W. Hamilton 



Pvts. L. W. Dyckman 
H. G. Benson 
J. E. Levering 
J. T. McDermott 
J. J. MdSTamara 
A. J. Marty 
F. K. Mires 



Carl Montagne 
J. E. Orlando 
H. Paulus 
B. J. Eeed 
L. S. Eehman 

F. J. Slipka 

G. S. White 



Tours 

Corp. O. S. Seeger 

Pvts. P. E. Bryant J. J. Moore 

H. Elliason J. H. Paine 

A. Froom W. T. Skelcher 

F. J. Lubecker E. M. Snnn 

Bordeaux 
Corp. H. E. Fields 



Pvts. D. F. Allen 

L. H. Andrews 
H. T. Boehmer 
H. W. Bloomquist 
W. J. Broeker 
J. J. Cassidy 
J. A. Clark 
T. Dorrance 
A. J. Draham 



L. C. Elston 
A. E. Forsythe 
H. E. Gray 
T. J. Hoffman 
Carl Israel 
C. B. Joiner 
A. E. Lawson 
E. Seeholzer 
L. P. Walcher 



The detail to Saint-Nazaire left Paris at 8.30 
p.m., August 8, and arrived at the coast the follow- 
ing morning. The trucks were not ready, so the 
men were given a couple of days to see this great 
base port. They finally pulled out on the 12th with 
seven 5%-ton Mack dump-trucks. The convoy 



40 




CIERGES 




CLERMONT-EN-ARGONNE 



passed via Nantes and camped on the roadside out- 
side of the city for the night. They proceeded the 
next day through Angers and arrived at Le Mans on 
the 14th, where five of the trucks which had loads 
for the commissary there delivered their loads. The 
following day the convoy went on into Paris, arriv- 
ing there in the afternoon of August 16. An effort 
was made to bomb Paris the night of their arrival, 
but the enemy was driven off. The convoy left 
Paris, August 17, in company with the Tours de- 
tail, and reached La Ferte, August 18. That after- 
noon the convoy moved the remainder of the Com- 
pany to Neufchateau, arriving there August 20. 



The Tours detail left Paris at noon of the 9th and 
arrived at Tours at 5 p.m. that afternoon. The men 
remained overnight at the motor-truck park and 
left the following afternoon with four Mack trucks 
for Paris, where they waited three days until the 
detail from Saint-Nazaire came in and then pro- 
ceeded to La Ferte with them. 



The Bordeaux detail, in charge of Corporal 
Fields, left Paris, August 9, and arrived at Bor- 
deaux the following morning; but a small amount 
of work was necessary in order to put the trucks in 
shape for this trip, so the detail had only a little 
opportunity to see Bordeaux. They secured the 
cars from the motor-reception park and left August 
11. The convoy consisted of nine 5%-ton Mack 
dump-trucks loaded with rifles and ammunition for 
Gievres. There the trucks were reloaded with 
quartermaster supplies for Louisant. After de- 
livering this load, another was taken on which con- 

41 



sisted of signal-corps supplies consigned to Coulom- 
miers. The detail reached La Ferte, August 18. 
The truck driven by Privates Hoffman and Cassidy 
was delayed in arriving for some time in order to 
secure necessary repairs. 



The men at La Ferte and those working on ahead 
were naturally exposed to all the dangers peculiar 
to the advanced zone. A detail which was under 
the command of Captain Kelly left La Ferte, Au- 
gust 10, for Crezancy, a short distance beyond 
Chateau-Thierry, to install an electric plant in 
Evacuation Hospital No. 2, and to wire the war tents 
and operating rooms. The men narrowly escaped 
annihilation from an exploding dud. A bonfire had 
been started in the hospital yards above the spot 
where the dud had buried itself and the heat set it 
off. Captain Kelly, several other officers, Army 
nurses, and members of the detail were working 
within a radius of fifty feet when the explosion oc- 
curred, but no one was injured. The air was filled 
with flying fragments, smoke, and dust, and the 
detonation was terrific. The resulting crater was 
nearly eight feet across, and had not the shell been 
some distance beneath the surface when it exploded, 
there would have been many casualties. The de- 
tail which accompanied Captain Kelly was com- 
posed of Sergeant Mezger, Corporal McDonald, Cor- 
poral Boss, and Pvts. O. S. Smith, H. Knodle, O. G. 
Martin, F. L. McDermott, and H. C. Brown. 

La Ferte-sous-Jouarre had been subjected to a 
number of attacks from German bombing squadrons 
previous to Company E's arrival. These squadrons 
frequently followed the course of the Marne River 
on their way to Paris, and all of the cities in the 

42 



valley suffered more or less. On the night of Au- 
gust 16, shortly after ten o'clock, the peculiar drone 
of the bombing motors was heard. The moon was 
shining brightly and the night was very clear, so 
that conditions were perfect for aerial activity. 
Soon searchlights were playing on the skies from 
every direction and the anti-aircraft guns be- 
gan their work. The noise from the firing and the 
bursting of the shell was like a bedlam. Some dif- 
ference of opinion exists as to the direction from 
which the planes were coming, as they were not 
visible with the naked eye. It is said that later in- 
formation brought out the fact that this squadron 
had attempted to attack Paris, had been turned 
back by the curtain of anti-aircraft fire near Meaux, 
and was returning to its base when it unloaded on 
La Ferte. About thirty planes were counted in all 
by the anti-aircraft observers. 

The Company was depleted to a considerable ex- 
tent at the time by the absence on detail of a large 
number of men, and only about one hundred and 
thirty were in the billets and "pup" tents at Saint- 
Martins the night of the attack. Many of the men, 
quite oblivious to the dangers, were out in the roads 
or standing beside their tents in the field watching 
this most interesting sight. The roar of the motors 
was coming nearer all the time, but no one imagined 
the planes were overhead, when suddenly the 
strange whistle of the falling bombs was heard, and 
the first crash created a panic in camp. Some 
started to run to places of shelter, others for their 
gas-masks, and some dropped flat. The bombs kept 
whizzing down and bursting until the atmosphere 
was thick with smoke, dust, and flying material. 

In all, nineteen bombs fell among the billets and 

43 



in the fields adjacent within fonr minntes. The 
work of succoring the wounded had begun before 
the last bomb had fallen. Corp. J. M. Newton dis- 
played unusual coolness in binding up the wounded 
in the chaotic conditions and in quickly securing 
transportation to carry them to the dressing-sta- 
tion. Most of the casualties suffered were caused 
by troop bombs, those which explode a short dis- 
tance above the surface of the ground and spread 
shrapnel radially and parallel to the ground. Fif- 
teen of the bombs were of this sort, while the other 
four were of the large high-explosive type which 
cause such destruction, especially when they strike 
a building. 

Pvt. C. P. Olmstead, the company bugler, lost his 
life while seeking shelter near the kitchen. He was 
struck in the head. Pvt. R. J. Bennett, while at- 
tempting to run from the field in which he had been 
sleeping in a "pup" tent along with about thirty 
others similarly housed, received the full charge of 
a troop bomb and died very soon after. Pvt. D. J. 
Callahan and Pvt. Vaughn Keifer also received 
fatal body wounds. Private Callahan died on the 
18th at Coulommiers and Private Keifer at the 
same place on the 20th. 

Others in the Company who received serious al- 
though not fatal wounds, at least up to the present 
time, were the following: — 

Sergt. H. L. Kluppell — wounded in arm and head. 
Corp. K. V. Loughran — wounded in leg. 
Pvts. H. R. Bloxam — wounded in left hand. 

R. V. Brown — wounded in both legs. 

L. F. Hurd — wounded in head. 

H. L. Lynch — wounded in thigh. 

H. O. Sandberg — wounded in neck and legs. 

44 




VAUGHN KEIFER 




CARL P. OLMSTED, Bugler 




ROBERT J. BENNETT 



Pvts. A. L. Webster — wounded in arm. 
J. H. Wilkins — wounded in leg. 
E. Fabiana — shell shock. 
E. S. Jeeves — wounded in head. 
M. Sommer — wounded in leg. 

Three others received slight wounds; namely, 
Pvts. L. Achtezehn, C. A. Street, and S. H. Tanner. 

The burial of Privates Olmstead and Bennett 
took place on August 17, in the La Ferte-sous- 
Jouarre cemetery, and full military honors were 
shown them. The Company attended in a body, 
and every one of the men felt deeply the loss of his 
two comrades murdered in this night attack. The 
Chaplain read the burial service, a volley was fired 
over the graves, and taps played most impressively 
by a Signal-corps bugler. Pvt. J. P. Payne of E 
Company assisted at the burial service. 

The escapes of many outside of their billets and 
in the "pup" tents were miraculous. The shrapnel 
sprayed the whole area and very few who remained 
standing escaped injury. The next day after the 
attack, the tents, clothes, barracks-bags, and other 
ruined equipment was assembled, and it presented 
a sorry spectacle. Everything touched by the fly- 
ing fragments was in shreds. 

The casualty list would have been much larger 
had the attack occurred either a few days later or a 
few days before. The Company was moving to 
Neufchateau. Several truckloads of the men who 
had camped in the same field where there had been 
such a shower of bombs had already left for that 
point, while on the 18th, three large details returned 
from Bordeaux, Saint-Nazaire, and Tours, and 
these men just escaped the raid. 

45 



During the three weeks of the Company's stay 
at La Ferte, the organization was split up into de- 
tails to such an extent that, as a rule, there was 
hardly more than a platoon at headquarters at any 
one time. Some were up in the advanced zone, 
while others were out getting trucks and material 
or helping other organizations out with their trans- 
portation difficulties. The men who remained in 
camp were drilled regularly and stood reveille and 
retreat. Colors were sounded every night. The 
"pup" tents were brought into play there for the 
first time, and towards the end of the stay nearly all 
of the men were sleeping in the open. The weather, 
as a rule, was delightful, and this meant little hard- 
ship. 



46 



CHAPTER III 

With the transfer of the headquarters of the 
Chief Engineer of the First Army to Neufchateau 
came orders for the moving of the company station 
to that point. An advance detail left La Ferte, 
August 14, by motor-truck, in charge of Sergeant 
Mezger. This detail went on ahead to look after 
the immediate electrical requirements of the new 
headquarters. It passed via Rebais, Esternay, 
Sezanne, Vitry-le-Fran§ois to Saint-Dizier, where 
camp was made for the night. The following morn- 
ing the convoy proceeded to Neufchateau via Ligny, 
Gondrecourt, and Domremy, the latter place being 
Jeanne d' Arc's birthplace. It was on this trip that 
Sergeant Mezger avoided a conflict with the author- 
ities in a small French village, where one of the 
trucks struck a cow. The populace and the French 
police came rushing out, and after much argument 
the Sergeant compromised, using his best French, 
by agreeing to give them a memorandum statement. 
He scratched off the following: "Cow hit, cow's 
fault! (Signed) Uncle Sam." The gendarme took 
the receipt, bowed his thanks, and allowed the con- 
voy to proceed. 

Company headquarters was established in a field 
about a half-mile out of Neufchateau. A portion 
of the men set out immediately to arrange the new 
headquarters building of the Chief Engineer for oc- 
cupancy, while others began the construction of a 
portable barracks at camp. On August 21 the en- 
tire Company with the exception of men out on 

47 



truck detail assembled at Neufchateau, the remain- 
der having come in by motor-truck from La Ferte 
in the trucks secured from Saint-Nazaire,, Tours, 
and Bordeaux. The men all slept in "pup" tents 
in this temporary camp. The sojourn was of short 
duration, the principal events of interest being the 
almost nightly "alertes." There were no raids. 

Camp was broken August 23, and the moving of 
the Company into the advanced zone at Camp Wil- 
son was begun. The transfer was made by motor- 
truck, and after travelling all night, the Company 
made camp in the Foret-de-la-Reine, adjacent to 
Camp Wilson, and close to the advanced Engineers 
supply dump at Leonval. This was in the Saint- 
Mihiel sector and very near the front. Observation 
balloons were near, and a number went up in smoke 
the second morning after arrival. The tents were 
pitched about the woods at irregular intervals, and 
well camouflaged, for it was especially desirable to 
keep from the enemy knowledge of the rapid concen- 
tration of troops which was going on in the sector. 

A portable barracks was constructed at the camp, 
and the remainder of the Company did stevedore 
work in the yards at Leonval. Only four days were 
passed at Camp Wilson, when orders came to move 
to Marbache, in the same sector but over on the 
Moselle River. A special detail was despatched to 
Ligny at this time to install electrical equipment 
and wire a number of buildings for the headquar- 
ters of the First Army, which had been moved up 
from Neufchateau. This detail consisted of Ser- 
geant Mezger, Corporal McDonald, and Pvts. H. E. 
Dodds, W. S. Wiley, Fred Goucher, J. W. Organ, 
Lynn Lemons, O. G. Martin, W. J. Sanford, and 
F. L. McDermott. 

48 



The Company left Camp Wilson by motor-truck 
the afternoon of August 28, and paralleled the 
front, passing by Sanzey, Menil-la-Tour, Andilly, 
Manoncourt, Tremblecourt, Rosieres, Saizerais to 
Marbache. Company headquarters were established 
there, and this was the base for all the Company's 
operations during those weeks leading up to the 
great Saint-Mihiel attack. 

The billets and company headquarters had been 
previously put in shape by a detail which came 
directly to Marbache from Neufchateau on August 
23. This detail was under the command of Lieu- 
tenant Daly and was composed of Sergeant Salchen- 
berger and Pvts. T. F. Ackerman, Wm. Bauer, J. R. 
Brown, C. M. Calkins, B. L. Coffil, R. H. Eaton, 
D. F. Harris, E. R. Henningsen, C. A. Lalla, 
F. Mayer, H. Morley, C. Nyberg, H. T. Snyder, A. J. 
Thompson, G. A. Titus, Wm. Unger, G. S. White, 
C. E. Wixon, and Fred Zeigler. The detail also in- 
cluded Cook Nicholas Cole and Truck Drivers J. G. 
Desler and J. F. Merino. Within an hour after ar- 
rival Cook Cole had a hot meal ready for the men, 
after which they set to work piping water to a pro- 
visional bath-house and preparing billets for the 
Company. Marbache was visited by the enemy 
raiders every night, necessitating regular trips to 
the dugouts. On one of these raids two soldiers 
were killed and several wounded and an entire 
French family wiped out. 

The Saint-Mihiel salient had long been a thorn 
in the sides of the French and their allies. On the 
24th of September, 1914, the German troops operat- 
ing in that section known as the Woevre, with the 
encircling of Verdun as an objective, had managed 
to take the heights of Hattonchatel and reached 

49 










50 



Saint-Mihiel. A little later they occupied the 
suburbs and barracks of Chauvoncourt on the left 
bank of the Meuse. Since then, Saint-Mihiel and 
this part of the left bank of the Meuse had been in 
their hands. The pocket formed was twenty-five 
kilometres deep and slightly more than that dis- 
tance wide at the opening. The opening went from 
Eparge to Regnieville-en-Haye and passed by Vig- 
nuelles-les-Hattonchatel and Thiacourt. Outside 
of its strategic value, this salient possessed nu- 
merous observatories. The French fort Camp des 
Romains dominated the whole region from the 
southeast of Saint-Mihiel. Another observatory 
was the butte of Mont Sec to the south of Etang- 
de-la-Perche, eleven kilometres east of Saint-Mihiel. 
Further east towards Pont-a-Mousson, the woods of 
Mont-Mare and Le Pretre were strongly fortified. 

The whole salient had been the scene of many ter- 
rible struggles, yet it remained in the hands of the 
enemy. The fact that the lines had been practi- 
cally stationary for a long time, made the problem 
of the reduction of this salient a difficult one, and 
General Pershing went about his preparations in 
such a manner that there would be no question of 
the results. This was to be the first great attack of 
the American Army. Heretofore the men had been 
brigaded with the French and the British. 

At Marbache, the Company had hardly become es- 
tablished before it began to spread out like an octo- 
pus with its tentacles grasping everything electrical 
and mechanical in the area assigned to the organiza- 
tion. Day and night Captain Kelly and Lieutenant 
Daly worked here and there in the advanced zone, 
locating stations and familiarizing themselves with 
the territory. Frequently they endured great hard- 

51 



ships and were constantly on the roads exposed to 
gas and high-explosive shell. Somehow the enemy 
seemed to discover that there was something going 
on, and during these days previous to the opening 
of the drive they shelled the roads, concentration 
camps, supposed gun positions — in fact, every place 
where they thought they could harass the Ameri- 
cans. Through all of this the truck drivers and mo- 
tor-cycle drivers also had to work their ways in 
their missions of carrying rations to the men and 
driving the officers and N. C. O.'s about in their 
duties of supervision. 

The following transfers to headquarters detach- 
ment were made between August 21 and September 
6 : Sergt. T. J. Collinson, Corp. J. H. Cone, Corp. 
W. F. Leahy, Corp. J. M. Newton, Pvts. John An- 
derson, J. J. Barnes, H. H. Brooks, K. W. Case- 
beer, A. Distler, M. F. Eiter, L. E. Fry, G. L. Hall, 
C. A. Street, H. H. Winn, W. H. Winslow, J. J. 
Curran, C. I. Bartlett, C. L. Calkins, and A. W. 
Rider. 

In order to facilitate the handling of the work 
at Marbache, the territory was divided into four 
areas, each of which was handled by a platoon. 
The First Platoon made its headquarters at Dieu- 
louard, the Second at Marbache, the Third at Mar- 
bache for a time and afterwards at Villers-en-Haye, 
and the Fourth at Domevre. These points were 
the approximate centres of their respective dis- 
tricts. 

Sergeant Achenbach with his platoon at Dieu- 
louard was located at a point of considerable activ- 
ity. From the day of arrival, the men were con- 
stantly under heavy shell-fire. It was likely that 
the positions of a number of long-range guns located 

52 



in and about Dieulouard had been ascertained by 
the enemy and was the cause of the incessant shell- 
ing of the place. The Company tools having been 
finally received, the greater portion of them were 
shipped to this point, where a storeroom was lo- 
cated in charge of Sergt. F. A. McDermott with 
Pvt. C. M, Stevens as assistant. 

It had been planned to install a small machine- 
shop there, but the completion of this work was 
not possible owing to certain changes in the mili- 
tary situation which caused the transfer of the Com- 
pany to another sector. However, there was much 
other work for the men about the district in con- 
nection with the installation and operation of 
pumps and electrical plants. It was without any 
regret that this headquarters was abandoned. 
Shell had made living aboveground almost unbear- 
able, and the men were forced to seek shelter in 
dugouts, not particularly conducive to machine- 
shop work. One large shell struck in the building 
in which the men were sleeping. Later, after they 
had gone underground, the building was destroyed 
by the shell-fire. Aerial battles were of daily oc- 
currence, and both American and enemy observa- 
tion balloons were frequently set on fire. Pvt. J. 
T. McDermott had a narrow escape from death 
when a shell exploded near him, killing four horses, 
seriously injuring two men, and a piece of shell 
passing through his trousers without injuring him. 
Two bombs which had passed through the roof of 
the church and finally lodged in the cellar without 
exploding were hung in a prominent place in the 
edifice. They were regarded as being possessed of 
almost saintly virtues. 

The Second Platoon was in charge of Sergt. G. B. 

53 



Bates. Although the platoon headquarters was at 
Marbache, very few of the men remained there. 
Most of them were out on detail or outpost duty 
under Sergeants VanVactor and Dixon. 

The Third Platoon, in charge of Sergeant Mezger, 
which also had its headquarters there for a time, 
was similarly scattered about and supervised by 
these same non-commissioned officers. By the mov- 
ing of the Third Platoon headquarters to Villers- 
en-Haye, the work of supervision was facilitated. 
This point was the headquarters of the 90th Divi- 
sion, which played a major part in the drive. Ser- 
geant Mezger was obliged to leave for the hospital 
at this time, but rejoined the Company at Clermont 
in the latter part of November. Sergeant Galla- 
gher succeeded him in charge of the platoon. 

The Fourth Platoon, in charge of Sergeant Zeile, 
at Domevre, split into scattered details, on outpost 
duty. Sergeant Lund was also stationed there and 
assisted in the supervision of the work. 

Company transportation during the drive was in 
charge of Sergeant Hamilton. The truck drivers 
were Corp. H. R. Fields, Pvts. B. H. Werner, J. H. 
McMahon, J. G. Desler, J. F. Merino, T. J. Hoff- 
man, J. F. Andrews, J. D. Moffatt, and C. Monta- 
gue. The motor-cycles were driven by Pvts. W. V. 
Lace, F. L. Anselm, and L. W. Dyckman. 

To tell of the hardships undergone and the 
dangers to which all of the men on outpost duty 
were exposed during these days previous to the at- 
tack would involve much repetition. A great pro- 
portion of the stations were subjected to almost 
constant shelling by gas and high explosive. The 
men were obliged to live and work in dugouts to a 
large extent, and were frequently exposed while 

54 



performing their various duties. Pipe-lines were 
often cut by fire, and they had to be repaired. Con- 
tinuous water and electrical service was imperative. 
Under no conditions could these services be inter- 
rupted for any length of time. So it was that the 
men shared all of the hardships incident to work at 
the front. Some of the stations subjected to un- 
usually heavy gruelling were the following: — 

Puvenelle Woods — (a) — Pvts. C. E. Wixon and A. 

Forsythe. 
(o) — Corp. A. J. Thompson and Pvt. 

D. F. Harris. 
(<c) — Pvts. T. Dorrance and F. Zeig- 

ler. 
(d) — Pvts. E. J. Thompson and O. G. 

Martin. 

Pont-a-Mousson — Pvts. Lynn Lemons and E. O. Haymart. 
Mousson — Pvts. F. C. Burmaster and J. R. Levering. 
Jezainville — Corp. C. A. Schilling and Pvt. E. Stolarski. 
Camp Jolieval — Pvts. J. J. McNamara and E. N. Knight. 
Bois-Montjoie — Pvts. J. R. Orlando and W. C. Morrison. 
Bois-dit-le-Rays — Corp. J. A. Rush and Pvt. J. M. Letter. 
Bouchot — Pvts. P. J. Cardinal and Paul Bryant. 
Camp-du-Ravine — Corp. O. R. Seeger and Pvt. G. Peterson. 
Pamey — Pvts. E. L. Smith and A. G. Draham. 
Pont-de-Metz — Pvts. R. A. Smith and C. M. Cassidy. 
Fontaine-des-Cerfs — Pvt. W. T. Ortman and F. Mayer. 

Some of the other stations were the following : — 

Bois-VEveque — Pvts. R. Currie, W. F. Finn and Fred 

Goucher. 
Ville-Saint-Etienne — Pvts. H. B. Boehmer and H. E. 

Knodle. 
Francheville — Pvts. H. W. Talbot and A. Froom. 
Chaligny—Pyt W. H. Bartlett. 
Rosieres — Pvts. T. W. Coath and H. Elliason. 

55 



Avrainville — No. 1 — Pvts. T. H. Dowd and A. J. Duffy. 

" 2— Pvts. H. C. Brown and O. Graf. 
Saizerais — No. 1— Pvts. Carl Swanson and C. V. Wilbur. 

" 2— Pvts. H. T. Snyder and E. M. Sunn. 
Petit-Bois-le-Pretre — Pvts. H. W. Bloomquist and J. J. 

Moore. 
Liverdun— Corp. P. H. Hoefel and Pvts. H. IT. Proemsey, 

T. F. Hayburn, C. J. Papousek, and W. L. Bauer. 
Gezoncourt — Pvt. L. C. Elston. 

Tremblecourt— Pvts. W. J. Broeker and Frank Mires. 
Domevre— Pvts. L. H. Andrews, D. F. Allen, and A. E. 

Lawson. 
Saint Jacques — Corp. H. B. Fields and Pvts. A. Marty, 

C. M. Cassidy, and C. I. Bartlett. 
Rogeville — Pvts. L. S. Kehman and W. J. Paterson. 
Griscourt — Pvts. G. A. Titus and Joe Neimey. 
Jonc-Fontaine — Pvts. A. J. Thompson and D. F. Harris. 
Montanville—Fyts. L. J. OToole and A. J. Kuston. 
Pere Hilorian—?vts. G. B. Morse and H. E. Gray. 

Most of these stations were under intermittent 
shell-fire, while all suffered from frequent raids. 
Soldiers were beginning to prefer the actual front 
to living aboveground in the towns some distance 
behind. These air-raids made life a nightmare in 
practically the whole sector, especially in those 
towns near the Moselle River. The night raiders 
usually followed the course of that stream on their 
way to Nancy and Toul, which places were being 
bombed incessantly. The "alerte" was sounded 
at Marbache nearly every night, and although only 
once while the company headquarters was there 
did the enemy drop any bombs, the squadrons 
passed over nearly every night, forcing the inhabi- 
tants to the dugouts or mines on all clear nights. 
These nightly, systematic assaults on the morale 
of the troops and civilians were practised by both 

56 



sides, and it was some satisfaction to see the great 
Allied squadrons crossing the lines almost con- 
stantly. The Germans were getting some of their 
own medicine. The Allies, at this time, had con- 
trol of the air to a large extent, and began a steady, 
merciless, and scientific harassment of cantonments, 
railroads, junctions, large towns, and villages. 

The great attack opened on the morning of Sep- 
tember 12, and the story of the battle has already 
been told by those competent to tell it. The pre- 
liminary bombardment set the heavens ablaze as 
far as the eye could reach. It is said that this bom- 
bardment was not exceeded in intensity by any of 
the war. The woods everywhere seemed afire with 
the flashing guns. "Death Nell," "Old Deutsch 
Cleanser," "Miss Liberty," "Crusader," "Sham- 
rock," and "Peace Talk" along with the thousands 
of other American and French guns were belching 
forth their steel in one continuous roar. The men 
went over the top about 5 a.m. and made a name 
for themselves which will not soon be forgotten. 

Mont Sec was taken, Saint-Mihiel and all the 
other towns in the salient won back for the French, 
and the line straightened out to a point above 
Thiacourt and near Pagny-sur-Moselle. The battle 
continued all day of the 13th, and that night the 
sky was ablaze again all along the front in the 
high wooded country between the Meuse and the 
Moselle. Great fires could be seen on Mont Sec, 
and practically every little French village evacu- 
ated was in flames. The roads were crowded with 
civilians returning to the centre of France to seek 
relatives and friends after four years of captivity. 
They worshipped the American troops who had de- 
livered them from the barbarism of the Huns. 

57 



The sector was still very active on September 17, 
when the company, headquarters was moved over 
to Clermont-en-Argonne. All of the men on detail 
were relieved, and assembled at Toul, from which 
point they were transferred to the new company 
station. Some thought at this time that there would 
be a little opportunity for rest somewhere behind 
the lines, where they might have some repose, clean 
up, and enjoy the fresh air for a while away from 
the shell-fire, dugouts, and all the desolation of 
the front. But the First Army had other work to 
do. No one, of course, realized at that time that 
the drive in the Argonne in which they were about 
to participate was to be a decisive factor of the 
war and the bloodiest battle in which the Americans 
took part. 



58 



CHAPTER IV 

Clermont is situated on the national highway be- 
tween Paris and Verdun and on the eastern border 
of the Argonne forest, the forest which has been 
the scene of some of the bloodiest battles of the war. 
The city occupies a commanding site over an ex- 
tensive stretch of country and can be seen for many 
miles around. Above the city a rugged bluff or 
butte rises precipitously, and, about half-way up, 
the ruins of the historic old church stand out prom- 
inently. Some of the walls and pillars of the edifice 
are still standing, and pieces of stained glass cling 
to the shattered window-frames. Above this church, 
at the top of the bluff, a space had been levelled off 
upon which, in other times, a charming park was 
located beside a very old chapel. A row of pine 
trees all around the park is in sharp contrast to 
the other trees of this wooded hill and make it 
particularly prominent from a distance. Quite 
naturally the point was an excellent one for ob- 
servation, and the French had constructed two 
observation-posts there which were subject to con- 
stant shelling. The hill, as a result, was pock- 
marked and torn from the pounding of the big guns, 
and the church and chapel were in ruins. 

The city itself had been occupied by the Germans 
and about half of it blown up by dynamite before 
their retreat, while continuous shelling since 1916, 
when Verdun was almost encircled and the front 

59 



lines brought down to the point where they were 
located when the American drive started, had about 
finished the work of destruction. The little settle- 
ment which had been a religious and educational 
centre for centuries was as a city of the dead when 
Company E moved in. 

The main body of the Company arrived at mid- 
night, September 18. The headquarters was estab- 
lished in a small studio adjacent to the partially 
destroyed chateau where the larger part of the men 
were billeted. Clermont was ideally situated for a 
company base, inasmuch as it was a great road 
centre for all the surrounding region. Strategically 
it was ideal, but the very fact that practically all 
of the traffic of the region passed through there 
made it a mark for the German gunners. On the 
night of the second day in town, big shells began 
to arrive at quite regular intervals. The bombard- 
ment grew in intensity each day until September 
26, when the great drive opened. For six days 
it was foolhardy for any one to be aboveground 
any longer than necessary. There was no regu- 
larity to the bombardment towards the end, and 
shell fell everywhere. A number of the men had 
very narrow escapes from death, and it is mirac- 
ulous that very many casualties were not suffered, 
especially when the Company was gathered in 
groups for mess line or some of the various inspec- 
tions required by military regulations. 

The duties of the office force, and the cooks es- 
pecially, kept them in the open at times when it 
was extremely dangerous. Buildings were crash- 
ing down all over the town, and even the M. P.'s 
were forced to work from their dugouts at road 
intersections. 

60 



During this time, most of the men were simply 
awaiting the opening of the drive, while the of- 
ficers were getting familiar with the territory and 
organizing the handling of the electrical and 
mechanical work when the advance should begin. 
The front line then passed between Neuvilly and 
Boreuilles, and Clermont was uncomfortably close 
for headquarters. After the attack, however, it 
proved to be a very satisfactory working base for 
some time. Before the drive, the sector had been 
in the hands of the French, and the pumps and 
the electrical equipment were taken over from them 
as soon as the Americans took charge. 

For purposes of reference and in order to 
give a clearer understanding of the relationship 
of the Company's activities to the drive, an out- 
line of the principal phases of the battle, as con- 
tained in General Pershing's report to the Secre- 
tary of War, is included, after which the more 
special part which E Company played is taken 
up. 

The great attack opened on the morning of Sep- 
tember 26, and the order of battle was as follows : 
Third Corps from the Meuse to Malancourt with 
the 33d, 80th and 4th Divisions in line and the 
3d in reserve; Fifth Corps from Malancourt to 
Vauquois with the 70th, 37th, and 91st Divisions 
in line and the 32d in reserve; First Corps from 
Vauquois to Vienne-le-Chateau with the 35th, 28th, 
and 77th Divisions in line and the 92d in reserve. 
The army reserves were the 1st, 29th, and 82d 
Divisions. In this first attack, which was con- 
tinued during the 27th and 28th, Montfaucon, 
the mountain stronghold, was taken; also Exer- 
mont, Gercourt, Cuisy, Septarges, Malancourt, 

61 




62 



Ivoiry, Epinonville, Charpentry, and Very. East 
of the Meuse. one of our divisions, co-operating 
with the Second Colonial French Corps, took 
Marchiville and Rieville. In the three days, over 
ten thousand prisoners were taken. From the 28th 
to October 4 the offence was against patches of 
woods, and continuous lines of snipers and machine- 
gunners, and preparations were being made for a 
further attack. The attack all along the line was 
resumed October 4 against strong frontal positions 
of the enemy held by veteran machine-gunners to a 
large extent who were savagely contesting every 
foot of ground. Strong counter-attacks met the 
Americans at every point. By October 10, the 
Argonne forest had been cleared of the enemy. 

It was at this time that the Second Army was 
formed and the immediate command of the First 
Army turned over to Lieut.-Gen. Hunter Liggett 
and the Second Army in the Woevre placed under 
the command of Lieut.-Gen. R. L. Bullard. On 
October 14, the First Corps took Saint-Juvin and 
entered the formidable Kriemhilde line, and on 
the 23d, the Third and Fifth Corps pushed north- 
ward to a level with Bantheville. At this time 
a regrouping of the American forces was in progress 
in preparation for the final assault. 

The last general attack opened on November 1, 
and the increased artillery acquitted itself mag- 
nificently in the support of the advance. The 
Third Corps took Ancreville, Doulon, and Ande- 
vanne, while the Fifth Corps took Landres-et-Saint- 
George and pressed through to Bayonville and 
Chennery. On the 2d, the First Corps joined the 
impetuous onslaught. By the 3d, the enemy lines 
had been penetrated to a distance of twelve miles, 

63 



and guns were brought into position to fire on 
Montmedy, Longuyon, and Conflans. On the 6th, 
a division of the First Corps reached a point on 
the Meuse opposite Sedan, twenty-five miles from 
the point of departure, the strategic goal. The 
enemy's main line of communication had been 
cut, and only surrender or an armistice could save 
him from complete disaster. 

In all, forty-four enemy divisions were used 
against the Americans. Those American divisions 
engaged were the 1st, 2d, 3d, 4th, 5th, 26th, 28th, 
29th, 32d, 33d, 35th, 37th, 42d, 77th, 78th, 79th, 
80th, 82d, 89th, 90th, and 91st. General Pershing 
had planned further operations, which are men- 
tioned in his report to the Secretary of War. An 
advance was contemplated by the First Army be- 
tween the Meuse and the Moselle in the direction 
of Longwy and at the same time the Second Army 
was to attack towards the rich iron-fields around 
Briey, these operations to be followed by an of- 
fensive towards Chateau- Salins, east of the Moselle, 
thus isolating Metz. The attack of the Second 
Army was in progress on the morning of Novem- 
ber 11, when hostilities ceased at eleven o'clock. 

Immediately after the main advance opened on 
September 26, details from E Company were rushed 
out in the wake of the troops installing and op- 
erating pumps and electrical stations, recon- 
noitering, and salvaging valuable electrical and 
mechanical material left behind by the retreating 
Germans. Lieutenant Reynolds and Lieutenant 
Kollock were engaged largely in the supervision 
of the installation and operation of the plants in 
the company area, while Lieutenant McClure and 
Lieutenant Daly were occupied in salvaging and 

64 



other special work. Lieutenant Curley was com- 
pany administration officer. 

One of the first of these details to leave was 
under the command of Lieutenant Daly and in- 
cluded Sergeant Achenbach, Corps. Henningsen and 
Bristow, and Pvts. O. G. Halowell, Carl Israel, 
Louis Barrett, and A. A. Wells. The men jour- 
neyed by truck to Malancourt, the trip taking two 
days on account of the traffic congestion. From 
this point, Lieutenant Daly, Sergeant Achenbach, 
and Privates Israel and Barrett went on afoot to 
Montfaucon, where they ascertained the facilities 
afforded for water-supply and then returned to 
Clermont via Malancourt. Montfaucon at that 
time was three kilometres ahead of the American 
artillery and very close to the front. The presence 
of Lieutenant Daly's detail in town was apparently 
discovered by the German gunners, for violent shell- 
ing began when they entered, and it continued 
as long as the men were under observation. 

During these times, Captain Kelly was every- 
where about the front in his duties of general 
supervision and shared with the other officers and 
men, especially the motor-cycle and truck drivers, 
all of the dangers of the front and its discomforts. 
Night riding at these times was like torture, not 
only for the drivers, but also for those who ac- 
companied them ; the roads were in terrible condi- 
tion, under constant shell-fire, and crowded with 
fast-moving convoys. The driving in motor-cycles 
was the most trying and dangerous of all. Pvt. 
W. V. Lace was badly injured in a collision on a 
congested road shortly after the Company's arrival 
there, was evacuated to a base hospital, and was 
unable to rejoin the Company before sailing. 

65 



Some of the stations installed and operated dur- 
ing the drive at troop concentration points, head- 
quarters, and hospitals were the following: — 

GAS PUMP STATIONS AND OPERATORS 
Aubreville No. 1 — Pvts. F. Mayer and W. T. Ortman. 

No. 2 — Pvts. R. M. Simn and W. C. Morrison. 
No. 3— Pvts. C. Israel and F. R. Mires. 
Avocourt No. 1 — Pvts. B. J. Reed and A. J. Duffy. 

No. 2 — Pvts. J. J. Moore, G. Peterson, and 
A. R. Veazie. 
Bois-le-Comte — Pvt. H. T. Snyder. 
Cheppy — Pvts. W. J. O'Rourke and C. B. Sloane. 
Cierges — Pvts. W. J. Broeker and E. F. Roth. 
Eocermont No. 1 — Pvts. S. B. Townes and G. S. Morse. 

No. 2— Pvts. E. L. Smith and L. P. Walcher. 
Fleury—Pvt. W. H. Bartlett. 
Ivoiry — Pvts. O. D. Libby and E. Stolarski. 
Julvecourt — Pvt. H. Elliason. 

Montfaucon No. 1 — Pvts. L. L. Crump and J. R. Levering. 
No. 2— Pvts. J. T. McDermott, J. P. Payne, 
and J. R. Brown. 
Varrennes — Pvts. C. M. Cassidy and A. E. Bernhardt. 
Ville-sur-Cousance — Corp. F. S. Kunz and Pvt. A. For- 
sythe. 

ELECTRIC STATIONS AND OPERATORS 

Aubreville — Pvts. D. F. Allen and L. J. O'Toole. 

Auzeville — Pvts. T. F. Ackerman and O. S. Smith (hydro- 
electric). 

Bethelainville — Pvts. W. J. Paterson and L. S. Rehman. 

Barricourt — Pvts. A. J. Draham and J. E. Zeile. 

Bretagne — Pvt. Carl Israel. 

Cannebierre — Pvt. J. W. Cox. 

Cheppy — Pvts. C. M. Calkins and A. J. Kuston. 

Clermont — Pvts. C. V. Wilbur and J. Walden. 

Courcelles — Corp. E. R. Henningsen in charge of lines and 
Pvts. Carl Swanson and H. C. Brown (hydro-elec- 
tric). 

66 



Eclesfontaine—Fvt. C. J. Papousek. 

Epinonville— Pvts. L. C. Elston and E. G. Pokorny. 

Esnes— Pvt. J. F. Yarmish. 

Exermont— Pvts. G. B. Morse, G. A. Titus, H. E. Knodle, 

and S. B. Townes (steam-electric). 
//Yoidos— Corp. A. J. Thompson and Pvts. Fred Goncher, 

H. H. Proemsey, and H. W. Talbot, 
Hill 309— Pvt. O. E. Graf. 
J ulvecourt— Pvt. H. C. Birsinger. 

Montfaucon—Pxts. C. E. Wixon and F. L. McDermott. 
Normandie— Pvt. H. E. Gray. 
Vendee— Pvt. E. K Knight. 

P. C. Verricre— Pvts. E. J. Thompson and M. B. George. 
y er2/ _Corp. A. L. Morgan and Pvt. A. Marty. 
Ville-sur-Cousance— Pvts. Kobert Cnrrie and V. H. Barnes. 
Vraincourt— Corp. Hoeffel and Pvt. T. H. Dowd. 

Most of these stations were at one period or 
another of the advance under fire. The men were 
very similarly situated, as they were in the Saint- 
Mihiel offensive and exposed to the dangers and 
discomforts of service close to the lines. And it 
was not only the station operators who had to take 
the gruelling. Details were out all the time on 
construction, installation, and salvage work, and 
these men, because of being on the roads and in 
the open, were subjected to even greater exposure, 
perhaps. Such work involved the constant use of 
the trucks for material and ration service, and 
the drivers and roundsmen, as a result, shared 
in all of this. 

One of the most interesting sights witnessed by 
the men while stationed in the Argonne was the 
crossing of a great armada of aeroplanes on October 
10. It included 350 fliers and was sent to squash 
a counter-attack. The fleet was arranged in groups 

67 



of from seventeen to twenty-four planes flying in 
the usual "V" or battle formation. It was an 
interesting innovation and magnificent spectacle 
arranged to attack a German troop concentration, 
according to report. There were 200 bombing 
machines, 100 "chasse" planes, and 50 triplanes. 
Thirty-two tons of bombs were dropped. 

In their work of salvage the men had oppor- 
tunity to see many very interesting things. Cor- 
poral Schilling, for instance, while reconnoitring 
to find two Diesel engines, went through the elab- 
orate underground dugout system installed by the 
French on Mont Vauquois, and Sergeant Dixon, 
while out with a detail salvaging a generator set, 
explored the underground systems at Vendee and 
Bertrange. Those at Vendee were double-decked 
with the lower floor sixty feet underground and the 
upper forty feet, while the over-all length was 
nearly four hundred feet. When the history of 
the war is written, places like Montfaucon, Cheppy, 
Avocourt, Cierges, Exermont, Esnes, Very, and 
many of the others where E Company men were 
working in one capacity or another, will all have 
their own stories. They are places around which 
battles of extreme intensity raged. The stations 
there were under extremely heavy exposure, as 
were those at Epinonville, Eclesfontaine, and 
Ivoiry. Most of the stations installed before the 
beginning of the drive, such as Aubreville, were 
shelled more or less regularly until the lines had 
been pushed northward. 

The Germans left large stores of ammunition 
and material at various points during their rapid 
retreat. Two of the large dumps were taken over 
and handled by details from E Company under 

68 



Sergt. F. T. Miles. One of these, located about 
five kilometres west of Varrennes, was known as 
the "$1,000,000" dump, and the men at work there 
were Corp. M. F. Baldwin and Pvts. P. R. Bryant, 

C. M. Calkins, J. D. Murphy, E. L. Smith, W. C. 
Morrison, and John Zeile. The other dump was at 
Cheppy, and the detail there consisted of Corp. T. 
Hayburn and Pvts. W. J. Broeker, P. J. Cardinal, 
L. F. Hurd, G. R. Warner, D. D. Goff, and J. M. 
Letter. These dumps were taken over on October 
7 and on October 18 were left in charge of the 
808th Pioneer Infantry. 

Between September 28 and October 12, a number 
of important changes occurred in the personnel of 
the officers of the Company. Announcement was 
made on September 28 of the promotion of Lieut. 

D. C. McClure to a captaincy, effective as of Sep- 
tember 16, and on October 4 of his appointment as 
Adjutant of the First Battalion, effective as of 
September 29. Although every one was delighted 
to hear of Lieutenant McClure's promotion, the 
fact that he was to leave the Company did not 
rest lightly in the hearts of the men, and when 
on October 12 the news was made known that he 
was to assume command of E Company and return 
to the organization, there was general rejoicing. 

Captain Kelly, who had been with the Company 
since its inception and put all of his energies into 
bringing it up to the standard of a highly efficient 
unit, meanwhile enjoyed a well-earned promotion 
to his majority. Upon leaving the Company on 
October 12, he was engaged in special duty with the 
Second Battalion for a time and shortly afterwards 
assumed command of the Battalion. 

On October 9, Sergt. First Class Chas. Achenbach 

69 



and Sergt. J. S. Gallagher were appointed to the 
Engineer Officers Training School at Langres and 
left Clermont to begin their work. The termina- 
tion of hostilities and subsequent rulings prevented 
them from finally securing commissions, although 
they had completed the prescribed course of in- 
struction. Sergeant Achenbach rejoined the Com- 
pany at Hettange-Grande, Lorraine, and Sergeant 
Gallagher at Bertrange, Luxemburg. 

At the time that the American forces were being 
grouped in preparation for the last general attack 
which opened on November 1, Lieutenant Kollock 
established an advanced post of command at 
Chatel-Cheherry on October 21, only a few days 
after the Germans had been driven from the town. 
The post was maintained there until October 28, 
when it was transferred to Cierges. His detail 
at first consisted of Sergeant Lee and nineteen 
men, but was later augmented so as to include two 
sergeants, six corporals, and thirty-two men. It 
was made up as follows : Sergeants Lee and Plapp ; 
Corps. W. S. Wiley, H. R. Fields, T. F. Hayburn, 
T. N. Bristow, A. L. Morgan, and M. F. Baldwin; 
Pvts. D. F. Reynolds, R, Dillow, H. E. Dodds, J. 
E. Zeile, M. C. Larrabee, A. E. Lawson, A. G. 
Draham, J. F. Merino, J. G. Desler, F. E. Willis, 
L. W. Dyckman, E. L. Smith, A. Marty, J. D. 
Murphy, Ed. McMonigal, R. J. Kulleck, J. R. 
Orlando, L. P. Walcher, P. J. Cardinal, Wm. Unger, 
O. C. Shafer, H. Morley, C. P. Gray, J. W. Mitchell, 
J. M. Letter, L. F. Hurd, A. Froom, C. V. Wilbur, 
O. G. Martin, E. Stolarski, D. D. Goff, and Fred 
Becker. 

The men were quartered in an old barn loft, the 
only available billeting-place left. At the time, the 

70 



town was crowded with troops. This loft was in- 
fested wdth all the vermin common to the front and 
exposed to the shelling and bombing. Before de- 
parture, the Germans had mined most of the dug- 
outs and set time-fuses. A number of these dug- 
outs blew up while the detail was there, and billet- 
ing underground was not popular. The crater 
from one of these explosions was over two hundred 
feet in width. Cook Reynolds, a past-master in the 
art of making flapjacks, put some joy into life for 
the men. A spirited competition as to relative 
capacity was won by Sergeant Plapp, who con- 
sumed sixteen cakes, any one of which would have 
sufficed for a meal. 

The work assigned to Lieutenant Kollock in- 
cluded not only the installation of gas pumps and 
electrical stations, but he was also instructed to 
send out reconnoitring parties with the advancing 
troops to observe the condition of the roads, the 
location of abandoned lumber and stone piles and 
other material useful in construction work, and to 
report same to the Corps Engineers by runners. 
Corporals were placed in charge of these parties, 
and they and their details went forward into the 
extreme zones of advance. They had many exciting 
experiences and came intimately in contact with 
the war in all of its frightfulness at the front. 

Corporal Wiley and a detail consisting of Pvts. 
A. Froom, E. Stolarski, O. G. Martin, and C. V. 
Wilbur worked up into the region of Sommerance 
and rationed for four days with the 7th Field 
Artillery. While reconnoitring they viewed the 
enemy front lines at close range, and were along 
with the doughboys who were dug in by the thou- 
sands back of all the neighboring hills. 

71 



Corporal Bristow's detail, consisting of Pvts. 
H. Morley, W. Unger, L. P. Walcher, and O. C. 
Shafer, went out several days before the drive 
started, and awaited the opening near Gesnes. 
They then followed the Infantry on through 
Landres almost to Bayonville. Very little material 
of importance was located. The ground between 
Romagne and Sommerance was strewn with Amer- 
ican and German dead. Many captured German 
soldiers and stretcher-bearers were pressed into 
service for the carrying of the wounded. Through- 
out the trip, the detail was continuously under 
fire. 

Corporal Hayburn and his detail, consisting of 
Pvts. C. P. Gray, J. W. Mitchell, J. M. Letter, and 
L. F. Hurd, left Chatel-Cheherry two days before 
the drive opened, and went up to a point between 
Bantheville and Romagne, three kilometres from 
the lines, where they passed the night in a shell- 
hole. Gas attacks were numerous, and the men 
were compelled to don their gas-masks three times 
before morning. On October 29 they returned to 
Cierges, and on November 1 left Cierges and pro- 
ceeded to Bantheville. They there joined the 90th 
Division for rations. In their reconnaissance work 
they followed the advance through Remonville to 
a point between Barricourt and Tailly and were 
recalled to Cierges, November 4. 

Corp. H. R. Fields and P. J. Cardinal left 
Chatel-Cheherry on October 27 for Marcq on recon- 
naissance, and there located a large engineering and 
lumber dump. The fact was reported, and a detail 
was sent out from the Advanced P. C. to secure 
some of the lumber, but was prevented from doing 
so by the heavy shelling. The following day, Cor- 

72 



poral Fields and detail, consisting of D. D. Goff, 
Fred Becker, and P. J. Cardinal, proceeded to 
Cierges and set out on further reconnaissance. 
They proceeded via Romagne and Cunel to Banthe- 
ville, where a generating set was located, and they 
then returned to Romagne, from which point they 
were recalled to Cierges. On the opening of the 
drive on November 1 the detail went to Banthe- 
ville and set out for Andevanne, but was unable 
to reach that point until the following day, when 
they entered via Remonville. The Germans had 
been driven out only a few hours before. Trips 
were made to Tailly and Villers-de-Dun, and the 
detail returned to Cierges on November 4, after 
a trip filled with many thrilling incidents. 

The German prisoners began coming in so rap- 
idly after the opening of the drive that it was 
decided to build a stockade at Avocourt, well up 
in the advanced zone. The work was assigned to 
the 37th Engineers. Avocourt had been in No 
Man's Land previous to the attack of September 26, 
and the village itself was simply a dust-heap, offer- 
ing no shelter of any sort. The men engaged in 
the construction were, as a result, obliged to sleep 
out in the open, in a pouring rain, for several 
nights. The work was begun on November 4, under 
the direction of Major Kelly, by about six hundred 
men of the Regiment assisted by an equal number 
of negro troops. A trench was dug two feet deep 
and a foot wide about the area, which was a quarter 
of a mile square. Posts were then set at intervals 
of ten feet, upon which barbed wire was strung 
from the bottom of the trench to the top of the 
posts. The strands were about six inches apart. 
A number of portable barracks were also erected 

73 



under the direction of Sergeant Ueberle of E Com- 
pany. Seven ty-n>e men from the Company were 
engaged in the work from November 4 to Novem- 
ber 7. 

Clermont, the company headquarters, was too far 
in the rear by this time to serve as a working base, 
and accordingly on November 7 the office and men 
engaged in general detail work who had been bil- 
leted at Clermont began moving to Cierges by 
motor-truck. A rear post of command was left at 
Clermont in command of First Lieutenant Rey- 
nolds. 

Shortly after the establishment of the new head- 
quarters at Cierges, reconnoitring details were sent 
out in charge of Sergeants Dixon and Plapp in the 
wake of the retreating Germans looking towards 
the establishment of an advanced post of command 
at Stenay, and on the night of November 10, Lieu- 
tenant Daly and twenty-two men moved into Halles 
on their way to the new post. Evidence of the 
hasty departure of the enemy was everywhere. In 
the cemeteries, the dead were left in caskets, un- 
buried. Abandoned material and equipment was 
strewn about, and elaborate barricades left uncom- 
pleted. The detail crossed the Meuse River into 
Stenay on the morning of November 11, the day 
of the signing of the armistice. 

The work assigned to Lieutenant Daly and men 
was in the nature of general reconnaissance, such 
as ascertaining the condition of roads and bridges, 
the location of mines, water points, sources of sup- 
ply for reconstruction work, and also to look after 
the installation and operation of pumps and elec- 
trical stations and the salvaging of electrical and 
mechanical material. The detail was made up as 

74 



follows : Sergts. E. B. Plapp and J. L. Dixon ; Corps. 
C. A. Schilling, H. E. Dodds, W. N. McDonald, and 
M. F. Baldwin; Pvts. H. O. Darrough, R. Currie, 
R. J. Kulleck, Ross Dillow, D. D. Goff, N. Cole, J. 
J. Cassidy, M. Kupetz, C. P. Gray, A. E. Lawson, 
J. H. McMahon, A. J. Mathews, Fred Becker, Lonis 
Barrett, and J. J. McNamara. 

The main bridge into the city had been shot 
in fifteen different places, and the river widened 
by damming to nearly three times its natural width 
in order to impede the progress of the Americans. 
Old men, women and children who had sought 
safety in the dugouts were coming out as the detail 
entered the town. The streets were barricaded 
with furniture laced together with barbed wire, 
and acid mines strewn about where they might be 
struck by passing traffic. These mines exploded 
when tipped over after the acid had eaten its way 
through the contact insulation. The supplies of 
food abandoned included twenty tons of flour, 
fifteen tons of potatoes, large stores of pickles and 
sauerkraut, and many fields of cabbages. 

The electrical equipment salvaged at Stenay was 
estimated to be worth in the neighborhood of 
$250,000. It included many motors and generators 
and large quantities of copper wire. The place 
was apparently a centre for the collection and 
distribution of material of this sort. The substa- 
tion connected to the 15,000-volt line from Belgium 
contained a 750-ampere direct-current generator 
connected to a large induction motor. The city 
was also provided with an auxiliary direct-current 
hydro-electric station, which was badly damaged by 
the enemy before retiring. They had also planned 
to destroy the plant and dam. 

75 



A mine was discovered beneath the bridge across 
the mill-race so arranged that the closing of the 
line switches in the power-station would set off 
the charges and blow out the dam. Another mine 
was found beneath the power-station floor which 
was wired to the switchboard in a similar manner. 
Lieutenant Daly's detail was not taken unawares, 
however, for they were looking for just such traps. 
The plant was not operated nor the feed wires 
connected up until all of the circuits had been 
traced out. The belts had all been cut up by the 
Germans for shoe-leather, and it was necessary to 
provide an entirely new set. Salvaging details 
scoured about the city and obtained pieces of 
belting here and there which were quickly laced 
into shape to give temporary service. Other men 
were engaged, meanwhile, in replacing the damaged 
generator with a smaller unit. By the evening of 
the 11th, the circuits had all been traced out and 
repaired and the plant put into operation to furnish 
light for the advanced headquarters of the 90th 
Division. A large siren, operated by a motor and 
connected with three German observation-posts, 
had been overlooked, but it made its presence known 
when the power was turned on, and was quickly 
disconnected. 

The headquarters of the German Crown Prince 
had been located at Stenay, and several large mil- 
itary establishments were in the immediate vicinity, 
including a base hospital, and an aviation field of 
"The Flying Circus," Germany's spectacular air- 
squadron. Four or five motion-picture houses were 
scattered about the city, and the halls were quickly 
turned into recreation centres for the doughboys. 
The pianos were readily adapted to American patri- 

76 



otic songs, and ragtime, a sort of music to which 
they were not exactly accustomed. 

Upon the signing of the armistice, November 11, 
the work of reconnaissance was discontinued, and 
the detail put in its time clearing up the electrical 
plant, salvaging, and in locating mines. One of the 
men found a dugout full of dynamite, as he thought, 
and the fact was reported to the salvaging officer 
in charge of high explosives, but investigation 
showed the substance to be pea compound used in 
making soup. The work was suddenly interrupted 
on November 15, when word reached Lieutenant 
Daly to report at once with his detail to Cierges. 
They set out on the morning of the 16th. 



77 



CHAPTER V 

About ten o'clock Friday night, November 15, 
Lieutenant Reynolds, who was in command of the 
rear P. C. at Clermont, received a message over the 
telephone from regimental headquarters at Souilly, 
to be transmitted by courier to Captain McClure, 
ordering the Company to assemble and report to 
Major Kelly Sunday morning at Verdun. At this 
time the company headquarters was at Cierges and 
an advance P. C. at Stenay. The Company was 
scattered in units of from one to fifty men from 
Bar-le-Duc to Sedan. A courier was despatched 
to Captain McClure, who immediately set about as- 
sembling the men who were to be at Clermont not 
later than six o'clock the following night. Mes- 
sengers were despatched north, east, south, and 
west, and before morning, notification had reached 
every man. It was not a matter of particular 
concern as to how the different details should make 
their way to Clermont. No company transporta- 
tion was available, and it was up to the men. It 
was natural to assume that a thoroughly disgusted 
and worn lot of soldiers would assemble on the 16th, 
yet the facts were quite to the contrary. Most of 
the men thought that this mobilization meant port 
and home. They accordingly came in whistling, 
but tired. They came by every known means of 
conveyance including Shank's mare, but they came ; 
and when the roll call was made, not a man was 
missing. The Captain considered it a great tribute 

78 



to the resourcefulness, versatility, and self-reliance 
of the men. He was hurt that he was unable to 
provide transportation, as most of the men had to 
lug in heavy tool-bags in addition to their regular 
equipment. 

Shortly before midnight, the Company marched 
to the Clermont depot and boarded a French "per- 
niissionaire" train about five hours later. A rear 
post of command was left at Clermont in com- 
mand of Lieutenant Daly. Some thirty men were 
held at their posts at hospitals and other important 
points until they could be relieved by C Company. 
These men finally joined the Company on December 
9 at Coblenz. The main body of E Company 
reached Verdun at 6.30 a.m. on the 17th and de- 
trained. They set out in small detachments to 
locate something to eat, and at eight o'clock pro- 
ceeded by marching to Etain. Lieutenant Kollock 
went on to Warcq with the motor, mule, and horse 
convoy. Not much opportunity was afforded the 
men to tour about the historic old city; however, 
the route chosen included passage through the 
Porte de France, past the ruined Jeanne D'Arc 
barracks, the Palais de Justice, only partially 
destroyed, and by the ancient College de Verdun, 
once a famous institution of learning, but now 
gutted and almost completely in ruins. The moat, 
drawbridges, and parapets of other days, and the 
barbed wire and trenches of modern warfare ex- 
cited lively interest, as did the terrible effect of 
the bombardment. The troops crossed the Meuse 
to Fauberg Pave, a suburb of Verdun, and along 
by the old City Cemetery. This cemetery rests 
under the scarred hill overlooking Verdun, and was 
completely and systematically desecrated by bom- 

79 



bardment during one of the battles. The old fam- 
ily vaults are shattered, as are the crosses, figures, 
and other adornments. In the cases of some of the 
vaults, the surface structure was not only de- 
molished, but the coffins in the crypts exposed. 
The shell-holes are at definite intervals, indicating 
that the plan of desecration was premeditated. 

Some of the officers had an opportunity of seeing 
the Citadel, or famous underground city of Verdun. 
It is said to have been built to garrison forty 
thousand men, and consists of a great number of 
arched vaults of considerable dimensions, and 
amply protected by masonry and earth covering. 
It contains a hospital, bakery, restaurant, and, in 
general, is equipped with every convenience to 
harbor a small army underground in case of siege. 
The largest shells of the continuous German bom- 
bardment had hardly scratched the surface. This 
is an interesting fact considering that the structure 
was not designed to meet conditions of modern 
warfare. 

The Company proceeded up the long grade east 
of Verdun to the summit, from which a wonderful 
panoramic view of the city and valley of the Meuse 
could be had. What remains of the cathedral 
stands out prominently. Eastward from this sum- 
mit, the route passes Douaumont, Vaux, and those 
other forts which were the scenes of the greatest 
battles of this war or any other war in history. 
The whole terrain is a shambles and a desert. 
There is not a living thing visible. The earth has 
been churned over and over until even the contour 
of the hills has been changed. What had been 
forts are dust-heaps where hundreds of thousands 
of men made the supreme sacrifice. The ragged 

80 



hills which slope eastward are just shell-torn, 
trench-scratched wastes, and a sickening sight 
when one thinks of the countless thousands torn 
to pieces and churned into the earth without at- 
tempt at burial. 

The march up the long grade out of Verdun was 
trying to the men, most of whom had been 
hibernating in company with their pumps and 
engines in dugouts without any exercise ; yet Lieu- 
tenant Reynolds, who was in command of the Com- 
pany during the march, expressed himself as highly 
pleased with the way the men hiked along in column 
with the seasoned veterans of the 1st Division. 

Along the route, many thousands of prisoners 
recently released from German prison camps were 
passed. They were making their way towards the 
interior of France. Some of them were in a most 
pitiable condition and terribly emaciated. 

The route through the different No Man's Lands 
which have existed at various stages of the war 
was interesting, but perhaps the most interesting 
sight of all was to see the thousands upon thou- 
sands of troops, mostly colored, rebuilding the com- 
pletely destroyed railroad and partially destroyed 
wagon-road between Verdun and Etain. There is 
so much destruction in the advanced zones of 
the battle area that there is not much to be wit- 
nessed that is at all inspiring, at least to the 
engineer. The sights are generally depressing, for 
there is nothing to be seen of a constructive nature. 
It was fine, however, to see these splendid workers 
throwing in the grades and tracks at high speed, 
while along with them expert linemen and ground- 
men of the Signal Corps were running through 
a standard telephone line and one cross-arm of 



81 



shining copper strands with a rapidity and ef- 
ficiency which was amazing. 

The negro troops, which always seem to have 
that happy faculty of singing themselves into a 
state of contentment, no matter under what con- 
ditions they may find themselves, were carrying on 
with their harmonies much as did the harmony- 
section gang back at Is-sur-Tille. Although land- 
ing in this desert with only their shelter-halves 
for protection against the abundant rain and wind, 
they had managed to accumulate enough sheet-iron 
and other material here and there in the shambles 
to make themselves quite comfortable. 

In the rear of the lately evacuated German front- 
line trenches, a long row of concrete pillars 
stretched across the valley. A two-inch steel cable 
was stretched between these pillars, and this is 
supposed to have been a tank barrier. Steel re- 
inforcement was used in the construction of these 
pillars, thus making them quite formidable 
obstacles. Preparations had also been made to 
block the road in the case of a forced retreat, by 
dynamiting the great trees which line either side 
of the highway into Etain. A strip several inches 
wide had been chiselled out of the trunk about five 
feet from the ground, and the wood replaced by 
dynamite cartridges half-way around, so arranged 
that the firing of the charge would cause the trees 
to fall across the road. The bark which had been 
cut out was replaced over the charge, thus making 
a very effective camouflage. 

The Company reached Etain about 3 p.m. in the 
afternoon of the 17th, and proceeded on to Warcq, 
about two kilometres southeast of Etain, and there 
company headquarters was established. Lieuten- 

82 



ant-Colonel Peirce and Major Kelly also established 
their headquarters at the same place. There the 
Company became an advanced unit for railroad- 
construction troops. Their duties were to prepare 
right of way for track layers, establish water points, 
inspect track and structures, report damage, and 
make such necessary temporary repairs as was con- 
sistent with the schedule assigned for the Com- 
pany's movement. Company F had meanwhile es- 
tablished its headquarters at Darmont. At Warcq, 
a small detachment of the 26th Engineers in com- 
mand of Lieutenant Fletcher, two officers of the 
11th Engineers and one of the 27th Engineers, 
joined the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Peirce. 

While the Company was stationed at Warcq, 
considerable work was done in clearing the yards at 
Etain and Warcq of wreckage and in removing the 
"soixante" narrow-gauge German track from the 
standard-gauge grade. Etain had been the German 
standard-gauge railhead, but had been subjected to 
some terrible punishment from the Allied bombing- 
planes. The pioneer dump formerly located at 
Etain was moved to Warcq because of these attacks, 
but at Warcq it was no more immune. The track 
between Etain and Warcq had been left in place by 
the Germans, but every rail- joint had been shot. 
The rails from Warcq to Darmont had been taken 
up and removed. It appears as if the continuous 
intense bombardment of Etain necessitated a 
partial abandonment of this point as a railhead. 

The German dugouts and bomb-proofs in and 
about Etain and Warcq were model structures. 
Frequently innocent-looking farmhouses had been 
converted into fortresses and surface shelters of 
great strength. One brigade-headquarters bomb- 

83 



proof near Etain was a fine example of high- 
strength construction. 

On November 19, the Company reconstructed a 
railroad bridge at Etain which had been destroyed 
by bombs. On November 21, it proceeded to Dar- 
mont and boarded a train of box-cars which had 
been collected under the direction of Major Kelly 
at Conflans. This train, which also included a 
steel car for the use of Lieutenant-Colonel Peirce, 
a first-class coach for the casual officers, a hospital 
car, a caboose, and a fairly good engine, consisted 
of eighteen cars at that time, but was eventually 
converted into a work-train "de luxe" of thirty 
cars. It was under the general direction of Lieu- 
tenant Kollock, provisional R. T. O. officer. F 
Company also entrained aboard a similar train at 
Darmont. 

The converting of these box-cars into habitable 
quarters for the Company was accomplished rap- 
idly. Salvaging details scattered in all directions, 
and the finely appointed German dugouts near fur- 
nished more than sufficient lumber, chairs, desks, 
tables, and stoves. Numerous other articles were 
added as the train proceeded, such as a piano, a 
German gasolene motor-generator set captured by 
C Company of the 37th at Saint-Mihiel, and a valu- 
able hotel kitchen range. 

It is interesting to note at this point that it was 
not necessary to go outside of the Company in 
order to get two train crews. These consisted_of 
Conductor Act. Sergt. D. J. Dosey ; Engineers, Pvts. 
G. A. Titus and Joseph Neimey; Brakemen, Pvts. 
Fred Becker, H. R. Fields, C. P. Gray, Harry Mor- 
ley, J. T. McDermott, J. H. McMahan, J. J. McNa- 
mara, E. J. McMonigle, J. Orlando, L. J. O'Toole, 

84 



E. J. Thompson, and Henry Paulus. Pvt. V. H. 
Barnes was train electrician. 

The train guard consisted of the following men : 
Corps. T. F. Hayburn, Lynn Lemons, and W. N. 
McDonald; Pvts. Leo Murphy, L. W. Dyckman, 
J. W. Mitchell, P. R. Bryant, Alfred Marty, James 
O'Leary, H. L. Lynch, W. J. Paterson, R. H. Eaton, 

D. F. Allen, E. Kilbride, J. W. Cox, Henry Paulus, 

E. Kaiser, J. M. McWilliams, and J. F. Yarmish. 
On November 21 at 9 a.m. the train pulled out 

from Darmont into a railroad No Man's Land on an 
important mission. The security of a great portion 
of an army's supplies depended largely upon the 
care and accuracy with which certain preliminary 
reconnaissance work was done. No one was in the 
switch-towers or the round-houses, and it was neces- 
sary to proceed slowly with frequent stops. That 
night the train reached Homecourt-Joeuf, having 
passed via Conflans. Sergeant VanVactor had 
been sent forward the night previous by motor- 
truck to Audun-le-Roman to have water ready for 
the engine by ten o'clock the following morning. 
He found no water in the destroyed city, but finally 
located the pumping-station which, they were told, 
had furnished water to Audun-le-Roman previous to 
its destruction. The plant was fired up, and the 
pump faithfully delivered its quota of water — some- 
where, but not into the reservoir at Audun. There 
was, however, water in the city mains. It was later 
learned that a small village near was suffering from 
a mysterious flood. Too late to furnish water for 
Audun, the real layout of the piping system was 
traced out. Sergeant VanVactor did not fail in his 
mission, however, for he had water ready a short 
distance away at Joppecourt. The train moved on 

85 



to Briey at 9 a.m., November 22, and thence to 
Audun-le-Roman, where it remained all night. 
The following morning it proceeded to Joppecourt, 
where it stopped for water and Sergeant Van Vac- 
tor's detail, and thence to Luxemburg via Lon- 
guyon, Longwy, Athus (Belgium), Petange, and 
Esch. Quite a little difficulty was experienced by 
the train crew in finding an engine fit for the duty, 
and it was necessary to change five times in all be- 
tween Darmont and Luxemburg. The tunnels be- 
tween Longuyon and Longwy were partially pre- 
pared for destruction. Square blocks of stone had 
been removed from the haunches of the masonry 
arches at frequent intervals, and it had been 
planned to dynamite these tunnels in case of a 
forced retreat. 

It was expected that there would be plenty of 
hard work for the men on this trip from Darmont, 
but it had been found that the Germans had left the 
evacuated territory strictly in accordance with the 
rigid terms of the armistice, and the reconnaissance 
developed into simple inspection work, which was 
performed largely by the officers. 

E and F Companies remained in the yards at 
Luxemburg from the 24th to the 30th engaged in 
small detail work and sight-seeing. While there, 
a letter was received from Colonel Spaulding, Chief 
Engineer of the First Army, which was greatly ap- 
preciated by the officers and men. It was as fol- 
lows : — 



86 



Headquarters First Army, 
Office Chief Engineer, 
November 23, 1918. 

FEOM Chief Engineer First Army 

TO Commanding Officer, 37th U.S. Engineers. 
SUBJECT: Services Rendered During Offensives. 

1. Tlie Chief Engineer desires to express his warmest 
appreciation to yon and through you to your regiment 
for the services rendered the First Army in connection 
with the Saint-Mihiel offensive starting September 12 and 
the offensive between the Meuse and the Argonne starting 
September 25 and its continuation on November 1, not 
only in connection with your own work but also on the 
additional work which you have performed in connection 
with the repair of railroads for the supply lines of the 
First and Third Armies. 

2. A copy of this letter has been sent to the Chief of 
Staff, First Army. 

It is desired that the terms of this letter be published 
to all the officers and enlisted men of your command at 
the earliest opportunity. 

Signed GEORGE R. SPAULDING, 

Colonel of Engineers, U.S.A. 

The stay at Luxemburg was in the nature of a 
short vacation for the men. They were among 
friends in a most interesting and charming little 
city after many long months of grind amid the 
dangers and desolation of the advanced zone. 

The Company had in addition to its train equip- 
ment and tools, three trucks which followed it to 
Luxemburg. The Saurer was under the charge of 
Wagoner T. J. Hoffman with Pvt. H. Bloomquist; 
the Mack of Wagoner Shatz with Private Grand- 

87 



quist, both of headquarters company; and the 
Dodge, of Wagoner Carl Montague with Pvt. 
Thomas Dorrance. Corp. J. M. Ross and Pvt. H. 
E. Gray were motor-cycle couriers. 

On November 29, a detail in the command of 
Lieutenant Reynolds with Sergeant Lund and Pvts. 
P. J. Cardinal, E. O. Haymart, O. G. Halowell, 
W. R. Johnston, F. R. Atkinson, and H. C. Brown 
left Luxemburg for Virton, Belgium, by motor- 
truck. Although the trip was made primarily for 
the purpose of salvaging a valuable motor-generator 
set captured some time before, as previously men- 
tioned, an opportunity was afforded the men to see 
something of Belgium and personally sense the feel- 
ing of gratitude which every one in that little nation 
holds towards all Americans. The villages were 
gayly decorated with the flags of all the Allies. 
The American flags were especially prominent. 
The fact that there were practically no American 
flags to be found in the invaded territory after the 
German evacuation did not prevent the people from 
making them, and they were flying everywhere. 
They were not of the cheap commercial sort, but 
built up by loving hands from any available ma- 
terial of red, white, and blue, and all, at least, had 
stars and stripes of some sort according to the in- 
dividual conception of the standard of America, the 
nation whose heart had gone out to them in a very 
material way. 

Arches of evergreen had been erected at the en- 
trance to all villages, bearing appropriate words of 
welcome, and the store windows were filled with 
pictures of the Allied commanders. Many strange- 
looking prints of President Wilson were also to be 
seen. The road to Virton traverses a number of 

88 



Belgian villages destroyed by the Germans as an 
example when they passed in 1914, thinking that 
this destruction would terrorize the people to the 
west into peaceful submission. This, however, 
proved not to be the case with Belgium, for they 
had an army and could fight. Luxemburg had been 
invaded without destruction as another sort of ex- 
ample of Germany's gentleness where there was no 
opposition, but Luxemburg had an army of only 
200 men, and, although obliged to suffer invasion, 
considered the action despicable and throughout 
the war held the Germans in the most profound con- 
tempt. Some of the Belgian homes had been recon- 
structed along the old style of architecture, but in 
general, the places were left in a state of ruin await- 
ing the time when the Germans should finally be 
driven out. 

The trip was made too rapidly to get any more 
than a general idea of the mining and smelting 
properties in which Southern Belgium abounds. 
Most of the plants were idle, they having been op- 
erated by prisoners previously and had not as yet 
been taken over for resumption of work by the 
rightful owners. In fact the whole country seemed 
to be busy in getting itself together and rejoicing 
over its deliverance. The men in the big Mack truck 
were given a liberal ovation as they passed through. 

Thanksgiving Day was passed in Luxemburg. A 
special effort was made by Sergeant Kane to pre- 
pare the best possible dinner in. honor of the oc- 
casion, and Captain McClure had given him a free 
hand, expense not to be considered. It was found 
impossible, however, to secure turkey, chicken, cran- 
berries, or the material for mince-meat or any of the 
other usual essentials of a Thanksgiving dinner. 

S9 



The little Duchy of Luxemburg was poor and had 
been for four years with scarcely anything left by 
the German hordes. The good old U.S. rations 
with a few frills were sufficient for the best meal by 
far served in the region that day. The menu was as 
follows : — 

THANKSGIVING DINNER 

Salad a la Engineers 

Eoast Sirloin of Beef Jardinier 

Mashed Potatoes Butter-beans 

Bread and Butter 

Apple Pie Cake 

Demi-tasse 

Sergeant Kane and Cook Hargitt spent all the 
previous night in a local bakery preparing the pie. 
When it is considered that nearly two hundred 
men were served with pie to their heart's desire, the 
baking was no small undertaking. 

A number of distinguished residents of Luxem- 
burg and officers other than in the Company's per- 
sonnel were entertained at dinner that day. Major 
Kelly, who had been with the train since its forma- 
tion, was called suddenly to Souilly, and his fellow- 
officers were greatly disappointed that he was un- 
able to join the feast. The best silverware and 
table linen were brought into service, and all 
seemed to be delighted with a most excellent din- 
ner served in a manner beyond criticism by the 
Company's King K. P., "Jerry" Benson. 

The train pulled out of Luxemburg, Saturday, 
November 30, at 2 p.m., for Wasserbillig on the Lux- 
emburg-German frontier, and it was necessary to 
remain there all night until the appointed time for 
passage into German territory, 5.30 a.m., Decem- 

90 



ber 1. The town was filled with troops awaiting 
the beginning of their march to the Rhine. At 6.10 
a.m., December 1, the E Company "Pioneer Special" 
crossed the international bridge and sped on its way 
down the Moselle to Trier, which was reached about 
7.30 a.m. (In Germany this river is known as the 
Mosel and the city of Treves as Trier.) 

Undoubtedly this train carried the first organiza- 
tion of American troops into Germany. The Mo- 
selle between Wasserbillig and Trier traverses a 
most picturesque country. On either side the lofty 
cliffs rise precipitously and are softened by the ver- 
dure. Wherever possible, vineyards have been 
planted, yet these are not so numerous here as 
nearer the Rhine between Trier and Coblenz. All 
along the route the train was the object of much in- 
terest, but the people seemed little disposed to re- 
ceive the Americans very cordially. The children, 
however, to whom the train might have appeared as 
some sort of circus organization, waved frantically, 
while some others, when not gathered in crowds, 
waved and smiled in a sort of shy welcome. One 
mother was seen to slap her little girl viciously for 
clapping her hands and waving at the Americans. 
The nature of the reception, although problemati- 
cal, was not of special interest to the men ; for they 
were engaged in military reconnaissance work in 
enemy territory, the territory of a people who either 
had no sense of the finer things of life or, if they 
had had, the senses had been killed or deadened. At 
least these people were not to be fraternized with 
or considered as equals. However, no offence was 
to be given — or received. 

At Trier the train was switched to the left bank 
of the river and camp established. This was head 

91 



quarters until December 5. The principal com- 
pany work in Trier was the preparation of the 
railhead under the direction of Lieutenant Kollock 
and Master Engineer Church. Quite a little work 
was involved in building two approaches and rail- 
road crossings, cleaning large warehouses, and 
placing traffic signs about the city. The railhead 
had only been completed a few hours when long 
trains of supplies began to arrive. 

After this work was finished; several days were 
devoted to small detail matters and sight-seeing. 
Trier offers much of interest of an historic nature. 
It is one of the oldest cities in Europe and was a 
stronghold of the Roman Empire. Among the 
ruins still in a fair state of preservation, perhaps 
the most picturesque is the Porta Mgra, a sort of 
triumphal arch constructed in the second century, 
of mortised stone without mortar. The Kaiser 
palace, built in the first century, is a ruin of great 
interest. The amphitheatre near the Kaiser palace 
was also constructed in this century, but was later 
completely filled and covered by the wash of the 
ages. In 1824 it was dug out to the level of the 
arena and the dungeons beneath excavated in 1908. 
The baths, dating back to the fourth century, were 
used until 1610. The principal bridge across the 
Moselle, and still in use, was built by the Romans. 
Another bridge was built in 1912, the dedication of 
which was attended by American Ambassador 
Gerard and the former Emperor. 

Before the Company left Trier, the main columns 
of marching troops were coming through in great 
numbers, and they presented a splendid appearance. 
All of these divisions were fresh from the battle- 
front and represented America's best fighting men. 

92 



They were hard and well-seasoned, and rather en- 
joyed the long hikes on their way to the Rhine. 
A large canteen had been established for them by 
the Red Cross, in the depot, where chocolate, cig- 
arettes, sandwiches, and other things were served 
without charge. It was a pleasant surprise to find 
this well-stocked canteen awaiting the advancing 
armies. 

Lieut. J. S. Curley remained at Trier with a de- 
tail to inventory the railroad property, inspect its 
condition, and ascertain whether any material had 
been removed. He was also charged with obtaining 
temporarily the necessary materials required by the 
utilities to keep them in operation. This detail 
consisted of Sergt. F. T. Miles, Corps. T. E. Gal- 
lagher and W. N. McDonald, and Pvts. A. Froom, 
O. C. Shafer, J. P. Payne, Nelson English, E. 
Kaiser, G. S. Morse, and J. H. Huber. 

The train pulled out of Trier for Wengerohr, 
December 5, at 2 p.m. At this point, Sergt. E. B. 
Plapp with a detail consisting of Corp. T. N. Bris- 
tow and Pvts. L. Barrett, G. R. Warner, F. J. Beav- 
ers, E. L. Smith, and S. B. Townes left the train 
and proceeded to Berncastle-Cues to prepare a 
railhead at Cues. The yards were cleared and 
the requirements of the utilities ascertained, after 
which the detail went on to Bullay, where a rail- 
head for the Ordnance Department was established 
and certain desired information obtained. An- 
other railhead for the reception of supplies was 
established at Cobern-Gondorf. The detail finally 
joined the Company at Hettange-Grande after ex- 
periencing considerable difficulty in finding pas- 
sage. 

The company train meanwhile went to Cochem, 

93 



arriving at 5.30 p.m., December 5, and the night was 
passed there. The next morning, the journey on 
down to Coblenz was begun. Corp. A. L. Morgan 
and a detail consisting of Pvts. L. L. Crump, A. J. 
Kuston, J. Dunning, and A. E. Lawson were left 
at Cochem, and were the first American troops 
there. Their duties were to obtain information re- 
garding the utilities and their ability to continue 
operation, to inspect the Kaiser- Wilhelm tunnel, 
which is 4.250 metres in length* and to guard the 
properties. The detail had an opportunity to go 
through the ancient castle which is situated on an 
eminence overlooking the city. This was one of 
the old robber-baron strongholds and was built in 
the fourteenth century. Much story and legend 
clusters about it. It was occupied by the Bishop 
of Cologne in the sixteenth century and in 
late years has been restored to some extent. It 
contains many relics, an original Rubens painting, 
and some very old tapestries. 

Between Cochem and Coblenz, the Moselle winds 
on through the mountains, and the vineyards be- 
come more numerous. The cliffs have been broken 
away, and the crushed rock gathered into small 
patches held by masonry walls. These patches are 
in almost inaccessible places and the stone construc- 
tion of a very permanent nature. The wine pro- 
duced from these grapes must be of a rare vintage 
when one considers the infinite amount of work 
which has been required, at some points, to sustain 
a few vines. 

Coblenz and the Rhine was reached about 2.30 
in the afternoon of Friday, December 6. On the 
way through the city to the depot, the train at- 
tracted much interest, and when it pulled in, Ger- 

94 



man guards in the well-known steel trench-helmets 
and fixed bayonets were patrolling the platform. 
The company guard which had been on duty ever 
since the trip began was placed about the train 
as usual, except that the Captain ordered the bay- 
onets fixed. It was a strange sight to see the 
bayonetted guards of two nations still at war, in 
a sense, walking their posts side by side. Every- 
thing around the depot was orderly. German 
troop-trains arrived and departed as did those de- 
voted to civil use, and the American soldiers were 
viewed with a mingled feeling of respect and awe. 
The German mind had been so diseased by propa- 
ganda that it was incapable of conceiving enemy 
soldiers entering a defeated country as gentlemen 
with respect for its people and property. 

The last of the German troops in Coblenz paraded 
the streets on December 7, led by a band. The 
white flag of truce was carried along with the 
German standard. The soldiers were cheered lust- 
ily by the crowd and showered with flowers. They 
passed over the Khine about 3 p.m. and proceeded 
on through the neutral zone on the right bank 
of the river. 

Company F of the 37th, which had been handling 
work at Bittbnrg and other points, arrived in Co- 
blenz on Saturday, December 7, and these two com- 
panies, forming the detachment of the 37th 
Engineers under the command of Lieutenant-Colo- 
nel Peirce, were, without question, the first troop 
organizations at the Khine. The only American 
soldiers there ahead of them were a few stragglers, 
A. W. O. L. from their companies, in Coblenz with- 
out authority, and also a number of American 
officers, members of the staff, who were there 

95 



strictly in line of duty in connection with the oc- 
cupation and evacuation. Statements that certain 
guard companies were the "first in" have been 
published, much to the amusement of the 37th men. 
The detachment of the 37th was indeed a detach- 
ment of strength and was in Coblenz first upon 
authority of the Chief of Staff, and the men feel 
a just pride in the fact. The Stars and Stripes, 
without undue zeal to ascertain the facts, con- 
tained the following rather slurring paragraph in 
its issue of December 13, in speaking of the entry 
of guard troops of the 39th Infantry, December 8 : 
"Of course these were not the first Americans to 
enter Coblenz. Small detachments — feelers, path- 
finders, outposts — always precede the Infantry, but 
a town is never entered until the Infantry gets 
there." The paper then mentions the 38th 
Engineers as being there, instead of the 37th. 

Doughboys and engineers do not argue as to 
their relative feats, for there is too much love and 
respect existing between these two branches of the 
service. They have shared the joys as well as the 
hardships and dangers of the war, and the Infantry 
would be the last to consider two companies of the 
37th and a large staff of officers, specialists in 
their appointed tasks, as a handful of path- 
finders, but would consider them quite entitled to 
the credit of entering Coblenz first. They were 
there first and in considerable force representing 
the United States Army. The troops mentioned 
as those who really were "first in" were none other 
than guard troops, and in fact when the Engineers' 
detachment, under the command of Captain Mc- 
Clure, left Coblenz, on December 11, the official 
entry had not as yet been made. These facts 

96 



are brought out in this story of Company E's activ- 
ities because they are facts of historic interest, and 
should be of record, especially inasmuch as the 
story of the achievement has already been inac- 
curately published. 

The trains of E and F Companies remained at 
the Coblenz depot from Friday until Sunday, when 
they moved across the Moselle Kiver to Coblenz- 
Lutzel. While there, a considerable amount of 
work was done, especially by the officers, in estab- 
lishing railheads, obtaining data on public utilities, 
and in other reconnaissance work. 

Lieutenant Kollock, to whom was assigned the 
task of locating railheads, set out in company with 
Sergt. H. L. Kluppell and Henry Paulus, interpre- 
ter, on December 6, in a special train. His train 
attracted considerable attention, for he and his 
detail were the first American troops in the Rhine- 
land territory which he traversed. A passing 
engine crew inquired of the German crew on Lieu- 
tenant Kolloek's train whether the Americans were 
prisoners. Private Paulus heard the remark and 
Sergeant Kluppell then produced a small silk Amer- 
ican flag and tacked it outside the coach window 
so that there would be no further doubt as to their 
independence. This, no doubt, was the first Amer- 
ican flag seen on the Rhine in many years. On this 
trip, Boppard, Bucholz, and Simmern were in- 
spected. Everywhere the German railroad officials 
were prepared with the information desired by 
Lieutenant Kollock. At the stations, his con- 
ductor appeared at the door of his car, saluted, and 
announced the station. Upon arrival at the station 
platform, the officials were lined up at attention, 
and the American representative was received with 

97 



fitting respect and ceremony. Throughout the 
journey, Lieutenant Kollock was impressed by the 
apparent nervousness of the officials. They seemed 
to act as if their lives were in constant jeopardy. 

A number of proposed railhead sites were in- 
spected during the following days, on the east 
bank of the Rhine. It was no place for an Ameri- 
can at that time, yet Lieutenant Kollock hurried 
along, this time in the Dodge truck, past German 
troops, and at times arriving in. villages ahead of 
certain expected divisions. The crowds were gath- 
ered to give the returning troops a real reception. 
Arches had been erected, flags were flying every- 
where, and signs in German bearing such inscrip- 
tions as "Welcome to our Returning Troops !" were 
displayed. Quite naturally the entry of an Ameri- 
can car and an American officer at such a time was 
not looked upon with the best of feeling. Along 
the route at one point fifty or sixty dead horses were 
seen, the bodies of which had been cut up by the 
troops for meat. It was apparent that the Ger- 
man transportation of foodstuffs to its men must 
have been badly demoralized when recourse to such 
action became necessary. 

Both the Dodge and special trains were used by 
Lieutenant Kollock in his preliminary work, and 
the places inspected other than those mentioned 
above were Dierdorf, Neuwied, Montabaur, St. 
Goarshn, Nassau, Laurenburg, and Oberwesel. 

One of the most important pieces of work handled 
by the Company while stationed at Coblenz was 
the construction of a pontoon bridge across the 
Moselle at Treis, forty kilometres up the river from 
Coblenz. A contract was let with a former 
sergeant in the German Army, Herr Lutz, to do 

98 



the actual work, but the undertaking was in direct 
charge of Captain McClure, who was represented 
by Lieutenant Reynolds. Sergeant Ueberle super- 
vised the work and assisted to a great extent in the 
actual construction. Owing to the fact that no ves- 
sels of any size can pass from the Rhine to the 
Moselle, on account of the strength of the current 
beneath the bridge over the Moselle near the con- 
fluence of the two streams, it was necessary to se- 
cure a tug from Trier to tow the pontoons from 
Coblenz to Treis. 

The order for the construction of the bridge was 
received December 8. That afternoon and the fol- 
lowing day were consumed in assembling the men 
and getting the pontoons in shape. Fog on the 
river interfered with operations considerably, and 
much difficulty was experienced in getting the 
pontoons through the bridge and through a narrow 
point in the river above Coblenz where the current 
was very strong. Horses had to be used to assist 
the tug at this point. 

The thirty-six pontoons were finally towed to 
Treis, and work was begun on the night of Decem- 
ber 10 at 9.30 p.m. In order to speed up the work, 
Sergeant Lund and a detail consisting of Pvts. 
C. J. Papousek, A. A. Wells, M. Kupetz, H. O. 
Darrow, H. Cutler, W. A. Paterson, H. E. Knodle, 
and J. D. Murphy took a 5-k.w. electrical set up 
from Coblenz on a special train and furnished light 
for the workers. Additional light was obtained by 
utilizing two Cadillac machine headlights on either 
side of the river. At 6.15 in the morning of De- 
cember 11, traffic was opened. The bridge had been 
constructed to facilitate the passage of troops, as 
formerly there was only a ferry at this point. 



99 



Master Engineer W. S. Church in company with 
Sergts. H. Kluppell and J. L. Dixon, Corps. M. F. 
Baldwin and J. H. O'Connor, and Pvts. H. L. 
Lynch, A. J. Marty, R. H. Eaton, Henry Paulus, H. 
Darrow, Leo Murphy, L. Achtzehn, Carl Nyberg, 
C. A. Lalla, M. B. George, O. E. Graf, W. R. John- 
ston, R. Currie, E. O. Haymart, W. D. Meng, J. Wal- 
den, A. J. Matthews, and L. L. Cain left Coblenz on 
December 8 to prepare the railheads at Boppard, 
Buchholz, and Oberwesel. On this trip the men 
were given an opportunity to see some of the finest 
scenery along the Rhine. This ride on the mountain 
railroad unfolded a great stretch of country to view. 
In its course up the mountain, the grade rises 360 
metres in six kilometres, and a cog-wheel engine 
is used. 

The long-looked-for arrival of Lieutenant Daly 
and his detail from Clermont occurred December 
9. The trip had been made by motor-truck and 
was without incident of particular importance. 
Since the main body of the Company left Clermont 
for Verdun, Lieutenant Daly had maintained a 
rear P. C. while waiting for the relief of his men 
still out at hospitals and other important points. 
He was assisted by Sergeant Joiner. The men 
passed their time on small detail work, most of 
them were billeted in the old chateau and the mess 
maintained in the hospital building. It was an 
enjoyable reunion when the men finally reached 
Coblenz. This was the last large detail to be called 
in, and it had been away from the Company for a 
long time. 



100 



CHAPTER VI 

On December 11, the detachment consisting of 
Companies E and F were ordered to report to 
Longuyon and set out that night. Trier was 
reached the following morning, where a short stop 
was made for breakfast, after which the train pro- 
ceeded to Luxemburg. It remained there all night, 
and on the morning of December 13, went on down 
to Longuyon, passing over the Prince Henri road. 
The train remained most of the day at Longuyon, 
when orders were received to proceed to Hettange- 
Grande, a little village in old Lorraine, between 
Metz and Luxemburg, near Thionville (Dieden- 
hofen) for guard duty. After a delay in Longwy, 
the Company reached Hettange-Grande on the 
night of December 14. The train remained for a 
time at the depot and was then switched into the 
yards. 

The Company was attached for temporary duty 
to the Second Army, 10th Brigade and 5th Division, 
and took over the general guard duty for the dis- 
trict, which consisted of barrier guard and guard 
over the railroads and other property and the 
preservation of order. Lieutenant Reynolds was 
guard officer for a time, but was later succeeded 
by Lieutenant Kollock. The Hettange-Grande in- 
terior guard was in charge of Sergt. D. E. Van- 
Vactor with Corps. C. A. Schilling and W. H. 
Winslow and twenty men. The interior guard at 
Cattenom was in charge of Sergt. G. B. Bates 

101 



with Corps. A. L. Morgan, T. E. Gallagher, and 
W. S. Wiley and fifteen men. The railroad-track 
guard was in charge of Sergt. J. L. Dixon and 
was split into three groups. One group with Sergt. 
G. B. Joiner and Corps. P. H. Hoeffel and T. N. 
Bristow and thirty- two men were stationed near 
Dudelange at the beautiful Mayrisch chateau. An- 
other group with Corporal Ross and four men was 
at Suftgen, about midway between Dudelange and 
Hettange-Grande. The third group with Sergt. J. 
K. Lund, Corp. W. N. McDonald and thirteen men 
was stationed at the train. The barrier and prop- 
erty guard work began December 16 and the rail- 
road guard December 21. A small detail had been 
left at Coblenz on special duty while the remainder 
of the Company was engaged at Hettange-Grande 
in the usual camp routines. 

Christmas at Hettange-Grande was passed pleas- 
antly. At noon the Company gathered on the 
loading-platform near the train, and after giving 
three cheers for each of the company officers and 
Major Kelly, a Christmas message from Captain 
McClure was read by Sergeant Looney. It was as 
follows : — 

HEADQUAETEES COMPANY E, 37TH ENGINEEES 

25 December, 1918. 

Dear Engineers and Officers, Company E, — This short 
message is a small but inadequate expression of my feel- 
ings towards you on this, our first Christmas gathering. 

I shall never be able to completely transmit my many 
thoughts and my deep appreciation of your work, your 
courage, and your co-operation. 

You have worked with untiring energy through the 
preparation, the action, and the finish of the three large 

102 



drives at Chateau- Thierry, Saint Mihiel, and the Argonne, 
and your results have always reaped a harvest of favor- 
able comment. 

You have shown a versatility in war work which can 
never be equalled, and the accomplishments of this Com- 
pany and your everlasting ability to produce results, even 
under the most adverse conditions, will go down in 

history. 

For years to come, you will be pleased to boast of that 
greatest honor, the fact that the march of the Third Army 
in Germany was preceded by Company E, 37th U.S. 
Engineers, on their reconnaissance train under orders of 
the Chief of Staff. 

Our work has been of value to all arms of the service, 
and many expressions of their pleasure, from your re- 
sults, have come to Headquarters. 

For the privilege of having been associated with you 
in the past and Avith a continued hope for the speedy re- 
turn home with this unit intact, I thank you deeply for 
your splendid response and esprit de corps and wish you 
all a Merry Christmas, and the New Year in America. 

Signed D. C. McClure. 

This genuine expression of appreciation from the 
Captain helped to gladden the hearts of the men 
on a rather miserable Christmas Day. Had he 
eavesdropped a bit about the box-cars afterwards, 
he would have found a lot of merry groups gathered 
about the stoves, partaking of an excellent Christ- 
mas dinner while they "talked him over." Such 
remarks as "He's a regular man!" or "He's just 
one of the boys!" or "He'll fight for his men every 
time !" and "Let me tell you, that little fellow's got 
q — , s j» would have given him some idea of the way 
in which he "stacked up" with the boys. Captain 
McClure had not only the respect of his men and 

103 



their confidence in his leadership, but he had en- 
deared himself to them in a way which is difficult 
to express. When he was called a few days later to 
be associated with Colonel Dillon in appraisal work 
in Belgium, every man in the Company felt a deep 
sense of personal loss. 

At the conclusion of the reading of the Captain's 
letter a prayer was offered by Pvt. J. P. Payne, 
which was followed by the singing of "America." 
Corporal Hayburn then delighted his hearers with 
a solo, "My Belgian Rose," and the Company re- 
turned to the train to receive gifts of cookies, choco- 
late, jam, cigarettes, and chewing-gum from the Red 
Cross, Y. M. C. A., and Knights of Columbus. Din- 
ner was then served. The menu follows : — 

CHKISTMAS DINNER 

Veal Croquettes with Bechamel Sauce 

French Peas in Butter Carrots in Cream 

Mashed Potatoes 

Bread Butter Confiture 

Cabinet Pudding with Chocolate Blanc Mange 

Coffee 

Many of the men had received their mail including 
the Christmas boxes the night before, which aided 
greatly in making the occasion more enjoyable. 
The credit for this is due to Wagoner Hoffman and 
Private Bloomquist, who had made an unusually 
fast trip to Souilly, Regimental Headquarters. 

Madame Mayrisch de Saint Hubert, at the 
chateau, threw open a portion of her beautiful home 
for the use of Sergeant Joiner's men on Christmas 
Eve and Christmas Day and night, entertained 
them with a Christmas tree in the sun-room, and 

104 



o 

I— I 



o 

a 
d 
o 




treated them as if they were her own boys. She 
made a special trip to Luxemburg and spent all day 
the 24th purchasing gifts and decorations for the 
tree. A delicious roast pig was prepared in the 
chateau cuisine for the Christmas dinner, and rare 
old wine was served. 

From the day of their arrival at Dudelange, this 
charming woman took special pains to make the 
men comfortable. It is interesting in this connec- 
tion to mention that the Infantry guard which was 
replaced by E Company had been living in "pup" 
tents near the tunnel, and the men were much dis- 
turbed when they were relieved, because they were 
more comfortable and satisfied than they had been 
since they arrived in France. They were "sitting 
on the world/' as they expressed it. E Company 
men did not exactly relish the idea of life in the 
open when the great chateau near might offer some 
shelter, and within an hour after their arrival they 
were comfortably billeted in a large barn and 
garage on the grounds. And this was no ordinary 
barn; it was a small chateau in itself. The cattle 
and horses occupied steam-heated and tiled stalls, 
and the men were quartered on the second floor with 
the best of accommodations. Madame Mayrisch, 
having had some experience with the German offi- 
cers and soldiers at her home for the past four 
years, had quite naturally expected that the Ameri- 
cans desired quarters in the chateau, when they in- 
quired. She was very gracious, but doubted 
whether she had room for the whole detail in the 
house. It was difficult to make her understand 
that the men only wanted the simplest accommoda- 
tions in the way of shelter, and no one, not even the 
Sergeant in charge, would, impose upon her to the 

105 



extent of living in the chateau. At once she began 
to realize that she was dealing with another class of 
soldiers, and from that day on could not do enough 
to make every one comfortable and happy. She ar- 
ranged for a certain number to bathe each day and 
in every way looked after their comfort. 

On Christmas night, Captain McClure and Lieu- 
tenant Keynolds were the guests of Madame May- 
risch and family. Her niece delighted the officers 
and men with several fancy dances, and a very 
pleasant informal evening was enjoyed. It should 
be mentioned that Sergeant Joiner had not over- 
looked the fact that hobnailed boots and polished 
marble and hardwood floors do not go well together. 
Accordingly every member of the detail wore over- 
shoes to the party. The signatures and home ad- 
dresses of all the men were taken by the hostess as 
a souvenir to send to her daughter, who is a student 
in Switzerland. Madame Mayrisch spoke English 
as though it were her native tongue, and took occa- 
sion to tell the officers and men how much she had 
enjoyed having them with her, and how sharply 
they contrasted with the Germans. The Huns were 
despised by all good Luxemburgers, she said, and 
they were held in the most profound contempt. 

On December 26, the village of Hettange-Grande 
celebrated its liberation in a merry fashion. At 3 
o'clock in the afternoon, all of the village folk as- 
sembled in a large hall prettily decorated for the oc- 
casion. There the women, dressed in the costume 
of old Lorraine, chose their partners for the day and 
evening by pinning flowers on the lucky ones and 
then formed in line outside for the grand parade. 
This parade, in which E Company marched in 
column of fours, was headed by the village band of 

106 



a few horns, which made up in volume what it 
lacked in numbers. The French standard was car- 
ried by a French zouave, escorted by two Ameri- 
cans, Sergeant Lund and Pvt. C. P. Gray, and the 
Company followed. Behind them, the singing vil- 
lage people joined arm in arm and swung merrily 
along the highways and byways. It had probably 
been a long time since the Marseillaise had been 
heard in Hettange-Grande, but still within the 
recollection of many of the old folks who witnessed 
the scene. Joy reigned supreme in the little town 
that day. After dinner the crowd again gathered at 
the hall for a great reunion and dance, and the 
festivities continued until sunrise the following 
morning. The burgomaster expressed his gratitude 
to the Company for its assistance in making the 
occasion a success. 

The next event of company interest was on De- 
cember 28, when Captain McClure left for Paris 
and Lieutenant Reynolds assumed command of the 
Company. 

On New Year's Eve, orders having been received 
to turn over all guard duty in Lorraine to the 
French by the first of the year, the company train 
pulled out for Rumelange, a little mining town in 
Luxemburg, just over the frontier. New Year's 
Day was passed in the yards there, and on January 
2 the Company left for Bertrange, a short distance 
west of the city of Luxemburg. The night was 
passed in the yards at Luxemburg, and Bertrange 
was reached the following noon.- 

The time for parting from the "S. S. S." (Sight- 
Seeing Special, as some called it) had come. 
Rumors were in the air that mobilization for the re- 
turn home would soon be ordered, and the men were 

107 



in an amiable frame of mind. They had clung to 
the hope that the train might be retained until port 
should be reached, but the ruling of the Inter-Allied 
Railroad Commission, that the German equipment 
was not to be taken into France at present, pre- 
vented this. The cars were stripped of their elab- 
orate furnishings including arm-chairs, sofas, 
stoves, and mirrors, and everything, including the 
precious piano, presented to the burgomaster of 
Bertrange to be distributed as he should see fit. 
With nothing but marching equipment, the men 
moved into billets along with Company F of the 
37th to await the call home. 

Several important changes in the personnel of the 
non-commissioned officers were made about this 
time. First Sergt. O. S. Looney was, at his own re- 
quest, relieved of his duties as First Sergeant and 
was later appointed Mess Sergeant. Sergeant First 
Class Achenbach served temporarily as Acting 
First Sergeant, but was later appointed Master 
Engineer, Junior Grade, and Sergt. S. W. Raker 
promoted to be First Sergeant. This was a fitting re- 
ward for Sergeant Raker, whose untiring devotion 
to the interests of the Company since its formation 
had been recognized by all. In his former capacity 
as company clerk he had been on the job night and 
day and frequently under the most trying condi- 
tions, and the final examination of the records by 
the embarkation officials showed the results of his 
painstaking work. 

Otherwise the sojourn of nine days at Bertrange 
was without incident of particular company inter- 
est. The time was passed in drilling, short hikes, 
and the usual inspections. Every one was restless, 
and anxious for the reception of the order to move. 

108 



The six months' period of service in France having 
been completed, the men received authorization for 
wearing service stripes, and these as well as the 
insignia of the Army of Occupation began appear- 
ing at this time. 

The detachment of E and F Companies, under 
the command of Captain Sealey of F Company, left 
Bertrange at 11.30 a.m.,, January 12, in a spe- 
cial train consisting of box-cars and a passenger 
coach for the officers. Company E was assigned 
nine small cars for 210 men. This did not matter, 
however, for the travel order read Saint-Nazaire 
and embarkation for the United States. The train 
passed via Luxemburg, Hettange-Grande, and 
Thionville to Metz, which was reached at 4.30 p.m. 
It was just dusk when the train pulled in to the 
famous old fortress-city, so the men were able to 
obtain only a glimpse of the place. Many of the 
Company had been given an opportunity previously 
to view the city while en route on various missions 
to and from Luxemburg and Germany. The train 
remained at the depot until 8.30 p.m. beside. a long 
train of French prisoners of war. These prisoners 
had the same starved and ragged appearance as 
those seen in November on the march from Verdun 
to Etain. The route out of Metz was up the 
Moselle River, across the old front near Pont-a- 
Mousson, and past Dieulouard, Marbache, and those 
other places familiar to the men in connection with 
their work in the Saint-Mihiel attack. Many re- 
mained up during a portion of the night to catch a 
parting glimpse of the devastated places. 

Nancy was reached during the night, and the 
train proceeded at 10 a.m., January 13, via Toul, 
Commercy, Bar-le-Duc to Ravigny for rations; 

109 



thence via Chalons, Epernay, Chateau-Thierry, La 
Ferte-sous-Jouarre, and Meanx to Paris. Unfortu- 
nately the familiar valley of the Marne was trav- 
ersed during the night and the men deprived of a 
last look at the territory in which they had worked 
during the drive above Chateau-Thierry. Private 
Zeile was left behind at Nancy because of the train 
pulling out while he was away exploring, but he 
rejoined the Company at Saint-Pierre-des-Corps. 
The Marne River was very high, overflowing its 
banks in many places. Most of the day of January 
14 was passed in the yards at Noisy -le- Sec and in 
circling Paris to the main line south to Orleans. 
Saint-Pierre-des-Corps was reached the following 
morning, where Red Cross workers served coffee to 
the men. 

The train pulled out in the afternoon and fol- 
lowed the valley of the Loire River to Trelaze, a 
small village, where the men were ordered to de- 
train and march to Corne, a distance of some twelve 
kilometres. This change in orders came as a keen 
disappointment to the men, who had thought that 
they were homeward-bound. Some of the platoons 
marched with full packs, while others were relieved 
of them by the trucks. Corne was reached about 
midnight, and the men temporarily billeted until 
the following day, when headquarters was estab- 
lished in an old chateau and a portion of the Com- 
pany established there. Others were lodged about 
the town in bowling-alleys and wherever accommo- 
dations could be procured. The remainder of the 
Regiment had already arrived. 

The days which followed dragged miserably. The 
men had set their minds on going home, and the 
delay was anything but agreeable. The weather 

no 



was in harmony with the spirits of the men. Im- 
mediately upon settling down very definite rules of 
deportment were established and all made to under- 
stand that they were entering upon a period of pro- 
bation and sprucing up and that their sojourn de- 
pended entirely upon their own efforts. So in spite 
of the disappointment lack of wood, insufficient ra- 
tions, and most unsatisfactory accommodations for 
bathing and cleaning clothes the men set to work 
with the old 37th spirit of doing all and more than 
they were told to do. They scrubbed and drilled and 
rolled packs until both themselves and equipment 
were beyond criticism. Packs and horse-shoe rolls 
were of such uniform dimensions that a micrometer 
caliper would have shown no variation. All of 
these matters of uniformity which had seemed of lit- 
tle importance did prove to be of very great import- 
ance when it came to appearance for inspection, and 
when on January 29 the regiment was reviewed by 
the Inspector General, the men felt a just pride in 
the showing they made. Lieutenant-Colonel Smit- 
ten, who had recently assumed command of the 
37th, expressed his satisfaction and that of the In- 
spector General in the following notice : — 

regimental headquarters 
thirty- seventh engineers 

American Expdt. Forces. 
29th January 1919. 
Bulletin 

To be read to all companies. 

The Commanding Officer presents his compliments to 
all the officers and men of the 37th Engineers for the 
creditable manner with which they passed the final in- 
spection to-day. 

Ill 



The ability of the Engineers to make good has once 
more been demonstrated, and in face of the impression 
that it could not be done in such a short time. 

The net result is that the showing made to-day was the 
best ever made in this district by any body of troops. 
Keep the good work up, that the reputation of the 37th 
Engineers as soldiers and engineers be maintained even 
after the regiment has ceased to exist. 

EL M. SMITTEN, 
Lt. Col. Engrs., U.S.A., 
Commanding. 

Much to the surprise of the men, word was passed 
around a few days after this inspection that Gen- 
eral Pershing would review the Regiment on Feb- 
ruary 4. On the appointed day, the six companies, 
together with several other organizations in the 
same billeting area, marched to the appointed place 
for the review. The inspection was made with 
open-rank formation, the front and rear ranks fac- 
ing each other. The Commanding General passed 
through the ranks, accompanied by his Staff. As 
each company was approached, the Commanding 
Officer of that company was invited to accompany 
the Chief of Staff during the inspection of the unit. 
General Pershing expressed himself as very much 
pleased with the appearance of the men, and said to 
Lieutenant Reynolds, "You certainly have a splen- 
did personnel." After the review, the General 
again voiced his satisfaction with the showing 
made, and took the occasion to warmly thank the 
officers and men for the services rendered by the or- 
ganization in the various drives in which they had 
assisted and later with the Army of Occupation in 
Germany. The high honor shown the regiment by 

112 



this visit of General Pershing, at a time when he 
was very much occupied with matters concerning 
the armistice and the peace settlement, was sin- 
cerely appreciated. 

Pvt. H. E. Van Sander of F Company, in his song, 
"The Gallant Thirty-Seventh/' which became im- 
mensely popular at Corne, cleverly covers the 
sojourn there in the following lines : — 

"On the way to Saint-Nazaire 

The gang was ditched one day 
And made to hike through rain and sleet 

To the town of old Corne, 
Where we were soused, drilled, and deloused 

And inspected every day. 
Well never forget Colonel Shoe-string 

And the misery of Corne." 

The casting from our midst of the festive and 
elusive "cootie" was one of the real struggles of the 
war. Major Cowan led in this battle. The men 
were taken to the delousing station in Angers by 
detachments and there bathed while the clothes 
and blankets were sterilized. Diligent reading of 
the underwear by his assistants led the Major to 
conclude the scourge had not as yet been stamped 
out, and accordingly regular inspections were held, 
and those still housing the bugs were again sub- 
jected to the delousing process. By frequent bath- 
ing and boiling of the underwear the men rid them- 
selves of these little friends of the soldier. When 
they settled down in Corne a month previous, they 
carried, snugly hid away on their persons, all of the 
"cooties" in France. 

The establishment of a community hall where the 
men could gather for social purposes helped to 

113 



make life a bit more tolerable. Entertainments 
were frequently given. Most of these were given by 
travelling troupes of vaudeville entertainers, but 
the Regiment itself put on several clever sketches, 
among which was one under the auspices of E and 
F Companies, on February 18. This was an excep- 
tionally good show, especially considering the fact 
that it was presented after only a few days' training 
and without special scenery or costumes. During 
the entertainment, the men good-naturedly and un- 
mercifully took occasion to "ride" the officers and 
sergeants to their heart's content. "Some" Colonel 
had deleted a popular war-time expression used 
quite freely in a picture show a few nights previ- 
ously, and they religiously avoided its use at the 
company show. All were agreed that the Colonel 
was right in his idea that, along with the general 
cleansing of clothes, equipment, and persons, it 
might be well at this time to look into the soldier 
vocabulary a bit as a matter of self-preservation for 
the men when they should return home. Mention 
of the individual merits of the various acts in the 
entertainment is unnecessary, as all contributed in 
equal measure to make the show a success. 

PROGRAMME 

Memories Chorus 

Reading, "Memories" . . . Hamre 
Song, "Please Go Away and 

Let Me Sleep" Quartet and Chorus 

Song, "Are You From 

Dixie?" Hayburn and O'Brien 

Specialty Stringed Instruments 

Sketch, The Street Fakers . Van Sander and O'Brien 

Songs Quartet 

114 



Beading, "Sheridan's Kide". Hainre 

Hawaiian Dance Van Sander, English, and 

Bristow 

Sketck,"Arkansas Traveller" Willis and O'Brien 
Solo, "Three Letters From 

Home" Hayburn 

Solo, "Belgian Bose" . . . Hayburn 

Specialty Stringed Instruments 

37th Engineers Song . . . Van Sander, O'Brien, and 

Chorus 
Song, "When His Pipe Went 

Out" Stringed Instruments and 

Grand Finale, "Good-bye Chorus 

France" Chorus and Orchestra 

The quartet consisted of Corporals Seeger and 
Bristow and Pvts. J. R. Brown and Win. Broeker. 
The stringed instruments were in the hands of Cor- 
porals Bristow and Baldwin and Privates English, 
Willis, Brottlund, and Buchanan. Sergeant Cop- 
ley was stage director, and Private Miller, prop- 
erty man. Music was by the 37th Engineers Or- 
chestra. 

Corp. O. R. Seeger and Pvt. C. I. Bartlett re- 
joined the Company at Corne after spending several 
months in Italy. They had been detailed with a 
number of other tractor experts in the Regiment for 
service with the Italian Army and were located for 
the larger part of the time near Rome, on the 
Appian Way. Upon the conclusion of hostilities, 
they had abundant opportunity to view the many 
interesting places in and about Rome. Many 
special privileges and courtesies were shown them 
by the Italian authorities. 

The sojourn of the 37th at Corne was brought to 
a close on February 23, when the Regiment set out 

115 



for Saint-Nazaire. The men marched to Trelaze 
and there entrained aboard United States box-cars. 
About midnight the train pulled Gut, and reached 
the embarkation point the following morning at 
six o'clock. It was raining, as is usually the case 
at Saint-Nazaire. After a tramp of about four 
miles through the mud, Camp No. 2 was reached, 
and there, after breakfast, a rigid physical exam- 
ination was conducted by the port officials. The 
men were next taken to Camp No. 1 and there 
again deloused and given a hot bath and new under- 
clothes. The preliminaries for embarkation hav- 
ing been completed, the Regiment was assigned to 
barracks in an isolation camp near to await the 
final orders. A show-down inspection was held on 
February 26, after which the men were kept busy 
on detail work of various sorts such as guard duty, 
K. P., construction work on Salvation Army and 
Y. M. C. A. huts, and digging graves. 

Colonel Peirce, who only a few days previously 
had received his promotion, assumed command of 
the 37th at Saint-Nazaire. Major Kelly also re- 
joined the Regiment and resumed command of the 2d 
Battalion, and E Company welcomed Captain Mc- 
Clure back to the fold. He was in command but 
a few days, however, for on March 2 the Company 
as an organization ceased to exist and was split 
up into detachments. 

In order to facilitate the handling of the men 
when they should arrive in the States, it had been 
ordered that the 37th be separated into groups and 
assigned to camps throughout the United States lo- 
cated somewhere in the neighborhood of the homes 
of the respective men. With this in view, the pas- 
senger lists were prepared by detachments without 

116 



regard to company organization, and on March 2 the 
new formations were assembled and reassigned to 
billets. The E Company headquarters force as well 
as those of the other companies, battalions, and 
the Regiment were assigned to Columbus Barracks. 
The officers and men of E Company were detached 
and assigned as follows : — 

Columbus Barracks Captain McClure, Lieutenant Cur- 
ley, and eighty-three men 

Camp Upton Lieutenant Daly and twenty-seven 

men 

Camp Devens Two men 

Camp Kearney Lieutenant Eeynolds and twenty- 

eight men 

Camp Dodge Forty- three men 

Camp Taylor Lieutenant Kollock and two men 

Camp Gordon One man 

Camp Lee Thirty-five men 

The days in camp were quite uneventful until 
March 8, when the Regiment marched joyfully 
down to the wharves and aboard the transport 
Princess Matoika. The 37th Engineers was the 
only regular organization of troops aboard, the re- 
mainder of the passengers consisting of casuals and 
some four hundred sick and wounded. The total 
number of officers and men carried, exclusive of 
the crew, was 3,300. 

Sunday always seems to have been the 37th's 
great moving-day and this was no exception to the 
rule. Sunday morning, March 9, at ten o'clock, 
the stern flag was flung to the breeze while the ship 
band played "The Star-Spangled Banner," "The 
Marseillaise," and "Homeward Bound." At eleven 
o'clock the big liner passed out of the locks and 
proceeded to sea. 

117 



The quarters and food were greatly in contrast 
to last year's accommodations aboard the Maure- 
tania. Every man had a comfortable bunk, and was 
not crowded. For a few days the weather was 
disagreeable, which condition was reflected in the 
number of absentees from the mess-line. In gen- 
eral, however, the sea was unusually calm for 
March. No events of particular importance tran- 
spired during the voyage. Plenty of reading mat- 
ter was available, and the canteen carried about 
everything that was desired. Newport News was 
reached at 7 a.m. March 20, and the troops dis- 
embarked at 10 a.m. and marched to Camp Stu- 
art, where good-bys were said and the Company 
split into detachments and sent to various de- 
mobilization camps. 



118 



CONCLUSION 

The geographical distribution of the Company 
by States according to the "nearest of kin" roster 
of addresses was as follows at the time that the 
return passenger lists were prepared: Illinois, 36; 
Missouri, 30 ; Pennsylvania, 24 ; Massachusetts, 19 ; 
Oregon, 18; New York, 16; Minnesota, 14; Cali- 
fornia, 11; Ohio, 8; Wisconsin, 6; Washington, 5; 
Colorado, 4 ; Michigan, 3 ; Texas, 3 ; Kentucky, 
District of Columbia, Connecticut, South Carolina, 
Iowa, New Jersey, Nevada, and Georgia, each 2; 
and North Dakota, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Utah, 
Rhode Island, Nebraska, Maine, Arizona, Kansas, 
New Hampshire, and Scotland, each 1. 

The trades and professions represented were as 
follows: electrical engineer, mechanical engineer, 
civil engineer, electrician, mechanician, chauffeur, 
construction engineer, clerk, chef, dining-car stew- 
ard, carpenter, lineman, steam engineer, pump en- 
gineer, railway mail clerk, letter-carrier, saddler, 
office manager, electrical contractor, hydro-electric 
operator, blacksmith, stenographer, machinist, pipe- 
fitter, brick-mason, oxyacetylene welder, gas-engine 
operator, sheet-metal worker, stationary engineer, 
foundryman, draftsman, farmer, plumber, boiler- 
maker, marine engineer, locomotive engineer, rail- 
way trainman, shoemaker, tinsmith, and shingler. 

This was indeed a strange combination of talent, 
and the list of trades and professions does not, 
by any means, indicate the capabilities of the men. 

119 



From such a miscellaneous group, however, filled 
with initiative and resourcefulness, E Company was 
developed into an efficient engineer war unit, and 
under competent leadership it was able to perform 
its work in such a manner as to frequently attract 
very favorable comment. Major Kelly has jotted 
down a few notes on some of the difficulties ex- 
perienced in getting results during the early part 
of the Company's war activities, which are given 
below : — 

Some Notes on Experiences of the 

Thirty-seventh Engineers 

maj. j. t. kelly, jr. 

Upon arrival at La-Ferte-sous- Jouarre in the lat- 
ter part of July, 1918, E Company had neither 
tools nor material, but at once took up all sorts of 
electrical and mechanical work. The men were 
provided with Ked Cross jack-knives, a sense of 
humor, and a spirit that knew no refusal. 

A certain plumbing job was accomplished by 
cutting a tin roof into strips to make a pipe, and 
wiping the joint with friction tape. A water sys- 
tem was installed in the chateau occupied by the 
Chief Engineer's office. The only pumps available 
were hand pumps which would only raise the water 
half-way to the tank in the attic. However, two 
pumps were cut into the line in series, and the two 
men doing the pumping had to stroke together — 
but it worked ! 

A supply of electrical material was located in 
town which was under the jealous guard of a 
Master Engineer. Sergeant First Class Mezger 
labored oft but vainly to get some of the material, 

120 



and finally came to his Company Commander, say- 
ing, "Sir, if yon wonld go and talk with this man, 
I think we might get it." The Captain went at 
once and talked for half an honr with the Master 
Engineer without result, leaving rather disap- 
pointed, until on the way back he met Sergeant 
Mezger with beaming countenance, who remarked, 
"That was fine, sir; we got everything we wanted 
while you kept him busy." 

One night at eleven o'clock the Captain under- 
took to provide lights at First Corps Headquarters 
at Fere-en-Tardenois by the following night. He 
had no generator, wire, lamps, or sockets. Lamps 
and sockets were obtained from the French on 
"Memo Receipt," a small generator which would 
not run was discovered, and at 1 p.m. the party 
set out without any wire at all. Wire (about No. 
22 weatherproof) was obtained from a convenient 
signal-corps dump en route, but the motor was a 
problem. It had no starting crank, and the flutter 
valve was missing. The men arrived on the job 
at 6 p.m., and at 9.10 p.m., just at dark, the lights 
were turned on in three buildings. To start the 
motor, a piece of pipe was found to slip over the 
shaft, notches filed in the end to engage the pin, and 
a small Stilson wrench used to spin the pipe. To 
keep the motor going, one of the men supplied a 
flutter valve in the shape of his own hands, which 
he patiently flopped for five hours, until at 2 a.m. 
the lights were no longer needed. The next day 
another machine was located and installed. 

One afternoon, the Corps Engineer of the First 
Corps sent for the Company Commander and 
showed him four hand-pumps of two different types 
which were broken down, and also an empty tank. 

121 



He naturally wanted water in the tank. The Cap- 
tain sent for Sergeant Salchenberger, and said: 
"At Saizerais yon will find an empty tank and four 
broken-down pumps. Put water in the tank before 
night." In two hours and a half, water was in the 
tank, one good pump having been fabricated out 
of the four. On the same job, the bath-house was 
found to be shy of several shower-heads, rendering 
it nearly useless. New shower-heads were made 
out of old tomato-cans with nail holes in the bot- 
tom, and the bath-house was a success. 

Word came in late one night that a pump in 
the Puvenelle Forest was broken down. This was 
a most important station, for several thousand 
troops were hidden in that forest awaiting the 
12th of September and the opening of the Saint- 
Mihiel offensive. Keaching the site early the next 
morning, the Captain was rejoiced to hear the 
pumps in operation. "I thought you were broken 
down," he said to the operators. "We were for 
about half an hour last night," was the reply. 
"The main bearing-cap went all to pieces, but we 
tied it down with strap iron." However, the iron 
was not standing the gaff, so the boys had whittled 
a new bearing-cap out of wood. It was put in 
place, grease was used plentifully, and the make- 
shift performed ably until the emergency was 
passed. 

A broken-down pump at Saint- Genevieve could 
not be repaired with the flat leather available, but 
a cup ingeniously cut from an old automobile tire 
did the work. 

At a number of chateaus it was prohibited to 
drive a nail or screw or cut a hole, yet they were 
wired and satisfactorily lighted by using keyholes, 

122 



sticks wedged into mouldings, and an infinite 
variety of similar tricks. Small wonder that the 
Company Commander never felt nnsafe in assum- 
ing the most impossible tasks. 

The Company Commander was at Neufchateau 
one evening when he received orders to have eight 
buildings at Ligny-en-Barrois wired by the next 
night. The men, without tools or material, were 
then forty miles from Neufchateau and fifty miles 
from Ligny. No telephone connection existed, and 
only a Dodge truck was available for transporta- 
tion. It was therefore two o'clock the next day 
before men and material were delivered on the job. 
The eight buildings had grown over night to six- 
teen. However, when darkness fell the sixteen 
were lighted in some fashion, and on the following 
day a proper job of wiring was completed. 

Captain Sealey of F Company, upon going to 
his garage one morning, discovered his transporta- 
tion sergeant with a brand-new motor-cycle casing, 
an almost unheard-of thing in those days. a Hello !" 
said the Captain. "Where did you get the casing?" 
The Sergeant slowly straightened up and remarked, 
"The Captain should say, 'I see you have a new 
casing.' " Enough had been said. That remark 
became a byword. 



123 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF THE 
OFFICERS 

Joseph T. Kelly, Jr., was born January 30, 1879, 
at Washington, D.C. He entered the Central High 
School in the Academic course, but later changed to 
what was known as the Technical course, graduat- 
ing in 1898. He entered Cornell University in the 
fall of that year in the Mechanical Engineering 
course, from which he was graduated in 1902 with 
the degree of M.E. He was a member of the class 
football and track teams and the Varsity La Crosse 
team. During summer vacation he worked in the 
shops of the Stanley Electric Company of Pittsfield, 
Mass., the General Electric Company, the Blake 
Steam Pump Company, and the Columbia Liquid 
Air Company. 

After leaving Cornell, he entered the employ of 
the Bell Telephone Company in Washington and 
later in Baltimore, Md., in the Plant department. 
In 1910 he left to enter the employ of the Consoli- 
dated Gas, Electric Light and Power Company of 
Baltimore as superintendent of electric distribu- 
tion, which position he held until May, 1917, when 
he was called to active duty in the army, having 
been commissioned Captain of Engineers in the 
Reserve Corps on April 2, 1917. 

On August 27, 1917, he was assigned to Command 
of B Company, 305th Engineers, and remained in 
that position until March 27, 1918, when he was 
transferred to the 37th Engineers, where he was 
given command of E Company, then not as yet 

124 



formed. The story of Captain Kelly's activities 
during the war as Captain of E Company and of 
his promotion to Major and command of the Second 
Battalion is given in detail in the company's his- 
tory. In January, 1918, Major Kelly was detached 
from the Regiment and assigned to the American 
Commission to Negotiate Peace with that section 
dealing with the war damages in Allied countries. 
His address on February 10, 1919, was 53, Avenue 
Montaigne, Paris.. 

Capt. Donald C. McClure was born at Cox- 
sackie, N.Y., May 31, 1890. He received his pre- 
liminary education in the Coxsackie grammar 
schools, after which he entered the New York Mili- 
tary Academy at Cornwall, from which he was grad- 
uated in 1909 as First Lieutenant. Captain Mc- 
Clure then entered Rensselaer Polytechnic Insti- 
tute at Troy, N.Y., from which he was graduated 
with the degree of E.E. in the class of 1913. Dur- 
ing his course he was an enthusiast in all forms of 
athletics, especially football and track, and was a 
member of the Delta Tau Delta Fraternity. His 
summer vacations were spent in the employ of the 
Upper Hudson Electric Company and the Utica 
Gas Company. In 1913, after graduation from the 
University, he was engaged by Henry L. Doherty 
& Company of 60 Wall Street, New York, and from 
1913 to 1917 represented this company in utility 
reconstruction work throughout the West. At the 
time of beginning his military activities he was an 
electrical engineer and superintendent with the 
Denver Gas and Electric Company at Denver. In 
1918 he entered the Officers Training Camp at Fort 
Leavenworth, where he received his commission. 

125 



He was then assigned to the 314th Engineers at 
Camp Funston, from which station he was called to 
Fort Myer. Captain McClure is a member of the 
American Institute of Electrical Engineers, the 
National Electric Light Association, and the Na- 
tional Commercial Gas Association. 

First Lieut. K. W. Reynolds was born April 11, 
1887, in Kankakee, 111., and received his early edu- 
cation in Bavaria and France. After completing 
the grammar school in Chicago, he was employed 
by the Southern California Edison Company of Los 
Angeles in various departments and capacities. 
In 1909, when chief operator with this company, he 
entered the University of California, graduating 
from the College of Civil Engineering in 1913 with 
the degree of B.S. This was followed by two years 
in Peru, as assistant to the general superintendent 
of power of the Cerro di Pasco Mining Company. 
Upon returning from South America, he was em- 
ployed as engineer by the Pacific Tank and Pipe 
Company of San Francisco, continuing in this ca- 
pacity until he entered the army in October of 1917. 
He attended the second Officers Training Camp at 
Vancouver Barracks and after receiving his com- 
mission was assigned to the 316th Engineers, 91st 
Division, at Camp Lewis, where he remained until 
January 1, 1918. He was then transferred to the 
318th Engineers, 6th Division, at Vancouver Bar- 
racks, where he remained until the middle of March, 
when he joined the 37th at Fort Myer. He is a 
member of the Tau Beta Pi College fraternity, an 
associate member of the American Institute of Elec- 
trical Engineers, and a junior member of the Ameri- 
can Society of Civil Engineers. On June 1, 1918, 

126 



Lieutenant Reynolds married Miss Patsey Stewart 
of Portland, Ore., at Washington, D.C. 

First Lieut. J. Stanton Curley was born at 
Troy, N.Y., in 1892. He received his preliminary 
education there and was graduated from the Troy 
High School. He then entered the Rensselaer 
Polytechnic Institute and graduated in 1914 with 
the degree of E.E. His engineering career began 
in the services of the General Electric Company 
as electrical engineer. When the Mexican border 
trouble broke out, he volunteered with the 22d En- 
gineers of the New York National Guard and spent 
nine months in the service. He then re-entered the 
employ of the General Electric Company and re- 
mained with them until September 1, 1917, when he 
entered the second Officers Training School at the 
American University at Washington, D.C. He re- 
ceived his commission in November and was as- 
signed to Washington Barracks with the First Pro- 
visional Regiment of Engineers. In January of 
1918 he was assigned to the 37th Engineers at Fort 
Myer. Lieutenant Curley is an associate member 
of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers. 

Second Lieut. William F. Daly was born at 
Peru, Ind., January 1, 1889, and received his early 
education in Bridgeport, Conn., where he graduated 
from the Bridgeport High School. He then took up 
electrical engineering at Pratt Institute in Brook- 
lyn, N.Y., graduating from there in 1911. He also 
attended Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute, taking up 
special engineering work. He began his engineer- 
ing career in the shops of the Allis- Chalmers Com- 
pany at Norwood, Ohio. After about two years, 
he left to take a position with the Crocker-Wheeler 

127 



Company at the Chicago office. Later, he accepted 
a position with the Stewart-Warner Speedometer 
Corporation, leaving them to join the army. He 
attended the Officers Training Camp at Camp 
Grant, Rockford, 111., and from there was sent to 
Camp Lee, where he secured his commission. On 
April 23, 1918, Lieutenant Daly married Miss Grace 
Gerard in Cincinnati, Miss Gerard's home. The 
Lieutenant is a member of the Alpha Delta Sigma 
college fraternity and an associate member of the 
American Institute of Electrical Engineers. 

Second Lieut. G. J. Kollock was born March 8, 
1889, in Clarksville, Ga. He received his grammar- 
school education at Savannah, Ga., and later en- 
tered the Georgia Institute of Technology at At- 
lanta, graduating in B.S.E.E. in 1911. He took one 
year's apprentice course with the Westinghouse 
Electric and Manufacturing Company at East 
Pittsburgh, Pa., and spent the following year as 
electrical engineer in the Industrial Control sec- 
tion. In September, 1913, he left the Westing- 
house Company to enter the employ of the Georgia 
Railway and Power Company at Atlanta, and in 
September, 1917, was assistant superintendent of 
transmission and superintendent of the under- 
ground department when he was drafted into the 
service of the National Army. In January, 1918, 
he was sent to the third Engineer Officers Training 
Camp at Camp Lee, Va., and was assigned to the 
37th U.S. Engineers at Fort Myer in April, 1918. 
On May 22, 1918, Lieutenant Kollock married Miss 
Edith Wright Cairns of Atlanta, Ga., in that city. 
He is an associate member of the American Insti- 
tute of Electrical Engineers. 

128 



COMPANY ROSTER 



Name 


Rank 


Joseph T. Kelly, Jr. 


Major 


Donald C. McClure 


Capt. 


Ralph W. Reynolds 


1st Lieut. 


John S. Curley 


1st Lieut. 


William F. Daly 


2d Lieut. 


George J. Kollock 


2d Lieut. 


Charles H. Achenbach 


Master Engr. 




Jr. Grade 


Louis Achtezehn 


Pvt. 1st 01. 


Thurston F. Ackerman 


Pvt. 1st 01. 


Donald F. Allen 


Pvt. 


John Anderson 


Pvt. 




(Transf'd) 


John F. Andrews 


Wagoner 


Lewis H. Andrews 


Pvt. 1st 01. 


Fred L. Anselm 


Pvt. 1st 01. 




(Wounded in 




action) 


Frederick R. Atkinson 


Pvt. 1st 01. 


Edward 0. Audsley 


Cook 


Milton F. Baldwin 


Corp. 


John J. Barnes 


Pvt. 




(Transf'd) 


Vivian H. Barnes 


Corp. 


Louis Barrett 


Pvt. 1st 01. 


Clinton I. Bartlett 


Pvt. 


William H. Bartlett 


Pvt. 1st 01. 


George B. Bates 


Sgt. 1st 01. 


William L. Bauer 


Corp. 


Earl H. Beardsley 


Pvt. 


Franklin J. Beavers 


Pvt. 


Albert J. Becker 


Pvt. 




(Transf'd) 


Fred Becker 


Pvt. 



Address {Nearest of Kin) 

417 E. Wardman Courts, Wash- 
ington, D.C. 

Coxsackie, N.Y. 

46 Twenty-second St., Portland, 
Ore. 

154 Second St., Troy, N.Y. 

C/o Crocker-Wheeler Co., Old 
Colony Bldg., Chicago, 111. 

6 Oakleigh Apts., Atlanta, Ga. 

1906 W. 6th Ave., Seattle, Wash. 

Sutersville, Pa. 

10 Adams St., Medford Hillside, 

Mass. 
Bull Run, Ore. 
2500 N. California Ave., Chicago, 

111. 
2207 Beale Ave., Altoona, Pa. 
1013 Elk St., Franklin, Pa. 
311 Ave. B, Rochester, N.Y. 

1002 17th St., Rock Island, 111. 
408 S. White St., Kansas City, 

Mo. 
28 Carmel St., New Haven, Conn. 
1798 Lafond St., St. Paul, Minn. 

Route 1, Cresco, la. 

6705 Clark Ave., Cleveland, Ohio 

300 Hudson Ave., Albany, N.Y. 

4721 Beacon St., Chicago, 111. 

36 Shepard St., Lynn, Mass. 

Wolf Lake, 111. 

34 Hazard St., Jamestown, N.Y". 

371 N. Rebecca Ave., Scranton, 

Pa. 
3428 Texas Ave., St. Louis, Mo. 

827 Nelson St., Portland, Ore. 



129 



Name 



Rank 



Robert J. Bennett 


Pvt. 


Harry G. Benson 


(Killed in 
action) 
Pvt. 


Louis C. Birsinger 


Pvt. 


Oscar J. Blein 


Cook 


Harry W. Bloom quist 


Pvt. 


Herbert R. Bloxam 


Pvt. 


John C. Blystead 


(Wounded in 
action) 
Pvt. 1st 01. 


Harry D. Boehmer 


Pvt. 1st CI. 


Thomas N. Bristow 


Corp. 


William J. Broeker 


Pvt. 


Henry H. Brooks 


Pvt. 




(Transf'd) 


Herbert C. Brown 


Pvt. 1st 01. 


Joseph R. Brown 


Pvt. 


Rolf V. Brown 


Pvt. 


Paul R. Bryant 


(Wounded in 
action) 
Pvt. 


Robert E. Burke 


Pvt. 


Fred C. Burmaster 


Pvt. 


Leverette L. Cain 


Pvt. 1st 01. 


Chauncy L. Calkins 


Pvt. 1st CI. 


Daniel J. Callahan 


Pvt. 


James T. Cameron 


(Killed in 
action) 
Pvt. 


Paul J. Cardinal 


Pvt. 1st CI. 


Robert W. Casebeer 


Pvt. 




(Transf'd) 


Chauncy M. Cassidy 


Pvt. 


John J. Cassidy 


Pvt. 


William Cathcart, Jr. 


Pvt. 


Frank L. Cervenka 


Corp. 


ArmandH.Chaufouraux Pvt. 1st CI. 


W. S. Church 


Master Engr, 




Sr. Grade 


John A. Clark 


Pvt. 


Kenneth V. Clark 


Pvt. 


Thomas W. Coath 


Pvt. 1st 01. 



Address {Nearest of Kin) 

C/o Mrs. William Bennett, 3955 
17th St., San Francisco, Calif. 

748 Burr St., St. Paul, Minn. 
827 S. 11th St., St. Louis, Mo. 
1621 N. Richmond St., Chicago, 

111. 
6746 S. Halsted St., Chicago, 111. 
4628 Drew Ave., S. Minneapolis, 

Minn. 

659 40th St., Brooklyn, N.Y. 
144 Lincoln Ave., Millvale, Pa. 
Bennettsville, S.O. 
4212A Holly Ave., St. Louis, Mo. 
50 Catherine St., Atlanta, Ga. 

C/o Appraisal Engr., Northern 
Eastern Telegraph Exchange 
Co., Minneapolis, Minn. 

2013 N. 10th St., St. Louis, Mo. 

Merrillan, Wis. 

2050 Jackson Blvd., Chicago, 111. 
3632 Garfield Ave., St. Louis, Mo. 
104 Quinces Ave., Amsterdam, 

N.Y. 
209 3d St., Butler, Pa. 
1008 Franklin PL, Rockford, 111. 
8165 Bay 16th St., Brooklyn, N.Y. 

C/o W. A. Cameron, South Athol, 

Mass. 
771 Wabasha St., St. Paul, Minn. 
1118 E. Madison St., Portland, 

Ore. 
155 Congress St., Bradford, Pa. 
15 Concord Sq., Boston, Mass. 
Room 13, Hackley Bank Bldg., 

Muskegon, Mich. 
1117 Brabec St., Pittsburgh, Pa. 
2008A Obear Ave., St. Louis, Mo. 
,, Bergen, N.Y. 

624 North St., Bellevue, Pa. 
5111 Windsor Ave., Chicago, 111. 
875 W. 2d St. South, Salt Lake 
City, Utah 



130 



Name 


Rank 


Bartholomew L. Coffill Pvt. 


Nicholas Cole 


Pvt. 


Thomas J. Collin son 


Sgt. 




(Transf'd) 


James H. Cone 


Corp. 




(Transf'd) 


John W. Cox 


Pvt. 


Lindell L. Crump 


Pvt. 1st CI. 


John J. Curran 


Pvt. 




(Transf'd) 


Robert Currie 


Pvt. 


Howard W. Cutler 


Pvt. 


Harry 0. Darrough 


Pvt. 1st CI. 



Glenn A. David 
John G. Desler 



Pvt. 



Wagoner 



Ross Dillow 


Pvt. 


Alexander Distler 


Pvt. 




(Transf'd) 


Guy Dixon 


Pvt. 


John L. Dixon 


Sgt. 


Harry E. Dodds 


Corp. 


Thomas Dorrance 


Sadler 


Daniel J. Dosey 


Pvt. 


Thomas H. Dowd 


Pvt. 1st CI. 


August G. Draham 


Pvt. 


Arthur J. Duffy 


Pvt. 1st CI. 


James S. Dunning 


Pvt. 


Frank C. Dusha 


Pvt. 




(Transf'd) 


Lester W. Dyckman 


Pvt. 


Roland H. Eaton 


Pvt. 


Mathew F. Eiter 


Pvt. 




(Transf'd), 


Harry Elliasen 


Pvt. 


Lowell C. Elsten 


Pvt. 


Nelson English 


Pvt. 


Rafael Fabiani 


Pvt. 




(Transf'd) 




(Wounded in 




action) 



Address {Nearest of Kin) 

6 Jefferson St., Newburyport, 
Mass. 

28 Diamond Ave. N.E., Grand 
Rapids, Mich. 

C/o G. H. Gunus, R.R. 2, Hills- 
dale, Ore. 

15 Franklin St., Keene, N.H. 

3021 Montrose Ave., Chicago, 111. 

Centralia, Mo. 

4595 Evans Ave., St. Louis, Mo. 

5201 Jennings Rd., St. Louis, Mo. 
15 Barrows St., Boston, Mass. 
C/o Mrs. E. Darrough, Steele- 

ville, 111. 
C/o Mrs. Mary J. David, 454 

W. 116th St., Chicago, 111. 
C/o Mrs. Mary Desler, Joseph, 

Ore. 
3447 S. 2d St., St. Louis, Mo. 
27 Birch Cress, Rochester, N.Y. 

Route 1, Hazelton, Ida. 

C/o Mrs. Alice Dixon, Hardin, 111. 

215 Wall St., Lincoln Place, Pa. 

Warrenville, 111. 

C/o Julius Dosey, Pine City, 

Minn. 
9 North St., Randolph, Mass. 
265 7th St., Milwaukee, Wis. 
26 Filmore St., Newark, N.J. 
C/o John Sparks, 13 Averill St., 

Lynn, Mass. 
721 Woodlawn Ave., Toledo, Ohio 

179 Park Ave., E. Rutherford, 
N.J. 

C/o Henry Eaton, S. Sudbury, 

Mass. 
1936 -N. Clark St., Chicago, 111. 

2150 N. Crawford St., Chicago, 111. 
438 W. 65th PL, Chicago, 111. 
135 North Union Ave., Portland, 

Ore. 
Centra Le Pagan, Anasco, Porto 

Rico 



131 



Name 



Bank 



Edward L. Ferguson 
Harold R. Field 


Pvt. 
Pvt. 


William F. Finn 
Arthur R. Forsythe 


Pvt. 
Pvt. 


Allyn Froom 
Lon E. Fry 

John S. Gallagher 
Thomas E. Gallagher 
Marvin B. George 


Pvt. 1st Cl. 
Pvt. 

(Transf'd) 
Sgt. 
Sgt. 
Pvt. 


James Gilmore 

Douglas D. Goff 
Fred Goucher 
Oswald E. Graff 
Clarence P. Gray 


Pvt. 

(Transf'd) 
Pvt. 
Pvt. 

Pvt. 1st 01. 
Pvt. 1st Cl. 


Howard E. Gray 
James T. Hague 


Pvt. 
Pvt. 


George L. Hall 
Orah G. Halowell 
Samuel W. Hamilton 
Oscar M. Hargitt 


Pvt. 

Pvt. 1st Cl. 
Stable Sgt. 
Cook 


De Witt F. Harris 


Pvt. 1st Cl. 


Thomas F. Hayburn 
Edward 0. Haymart 


Corp. 
Pvt. 1st Cl. 


Frederick C. Helwig 
Edgar R. Henningsen 
Philip H. Hoefel 
Thomas J. Hoffman, Jr. 


Pvt. 

Corp. 
Corp. 
Wagoner 


John H. Huber 


Pvt. 


Louis F. Hurd 

Harry C. Hutchison 
Carl Israel 


Pvt. 

(Wounded in 
action) 

Pvt. 1st Cl. 

Pvt. 1st Cl. 


Richard S. Jeeves 


Pvt. 

(Transf'd) 
(Wounded in 
action) 



Address (Nearest of Kin) 

2650A Caroline St., St. Louis, Mo. 
12 Washington Ave., Riverside, 

R.I. 
34 Hancock St., Chelsea, Mass. 
1927 Buena Vista St., Pittsburgh, 

Pa. 
117 South K St., Madera, Calif. 
C/o Mrs. Carrie Fry, Condon, 

Ore. 
2024 Austin Ave., Waco, Tex. 
18 N. West St., Somerset, Pa. 
6029 Chaniplain Ave., Chicago, 

111. 
Donora, Pa. 

6938 43d Ave. S.E., Portland, Ore. 
16 Hampshire St., Everett, Mass. 
3019 Gedion Ave., Zion City, 111. 
434 6th St. S.W., Washington, 

D.C. 
2510 ^Etna St., Berkeley, Calif. 
207 E. Graham Ave., Council 

Bluffs, la. 
41 Oak St., Providence, R.I. 
160 Lake St., Lancaster, Ohio. 
119 Franklin St., Greensburg, Pa. 
C/o Marcus Hargitt, Westel, 

Tenn. 
C/o Mrs. Birdie Harris, Lincoln, 

Minn. 
2711 Leland Ave., Chicago, 111. 
C/o Mrs. Rose L. Haymart, Gilt- 

ner, Neh. 
Fulda, Minn. 

95 Adams Ave., Pueblo, Col. 
134 E. Lemon St., Lancaster, Pa. 
C/o T. J. Hoffman, Route 2, Cole- 
man, Wis. 
2519 St. Louis Ave., St. Louis, 

Mo. 
Lincoln PI., Urbana, Ohio 

1511 Penn St., Harrisburg, Pa. 
C/o Mrs. Mary E. Israel, Biggs, 

Calif. 
41 Cornell St., Lower Falls, Mass. 



132 



Name 


Rank 


William R. Johnston 


Pvt. 


Clem B. Joiner 


Sgt. 


Edward Kaiser 


Pvt. 


Harry E. Kane 


Pvt. 


Vaughn Keifer 


Pvt. 


Eugene Kilbride 


(Killed in 
action) 
Pvt. 


Richard S. King 


Pvt. 


H. E. Kleffel 


Master Engr., 




Sr. Grade 


Harry L. Kluppell 


Pvt. 


Earl M. Knight 


(Wounded in 
action) 
Pvt. 


Hubert E. Knodle 


Pvt. 


Richard J. Kulleck 


Pvt. 


Frank S. Kunz 


Corp. 


Michael Kupetz 


Pvt. 1st 01. 


Alfred J. Kuston 


Pvt. 1st 01. 


Walter V. Lace 


Pvt. 1st 01. 


Joseph S. Lala 


(Wounded in 
action) 
Pvt. 




(Transf'd) 


Charles A. Lalla 


Horseshoer 


Merton C. Larrabee 


Pvt. 1st 01. 


Alfred E. Law son 


Pvt. 1st 01. 


William F. Leahy 


Corp. 




(Transf'd) 


Chris C. Lee 


Sgt. 


Lynn Lemons 


Corp. 


John M. Letter 


Pvt. 


James R. Levering 


Pvt. 


Orran D. Libby 


Pvt. 


Louis J. Long 


Pvt. 1st 01. 


Orville S. Looney 


Mess Sgt. 


ROSS V. LOUGHRAN 


Corp. 


Fred J. Lubecker 


(Wounded in 
action) 
Pvt. 1st CI. 


John K. Lund 


Sgt. 


Harry L. Lynch 


Pvt. 




(Wounded in 
action) 




133 



Address {Nearest of Kin) 

181 Oneida St., Monessen, Pa. 
324 Windham Ave., Laurel, Miss. 
2613 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, Mo. 
1650 Monroe St., Washington, 

D.C. 
40 E. Main St., Stockton, Calif. 

16 Hermon St., Winthrop, Mass. 
O/o R. G. Patton, Waco, Tex. 
C/o Pittsburgh Transformer Co., 

30 Church St., New York City 
148 Montclair Ave., Pittsburgh, 

Pa. 

C/o Joseph E. Knight, Sherwood, 

Ore. 
Box 45, Mt. Morris, 111. 
1240 School St., Chicago, 111. 
836 Lill Ave., Chicago, 111. 
998 11th Ave. West, Eugene, Ore. 
438 E 43d St., Chicago, 111. 
424 Washington St., Appleton, 

Wis. 

514 Brooklyn Ave., Kansas City, 

Mo. 
220 Myrtle Ave., Buffalo, N.Y. 
Unity, Me. 
3518 Belief ontaine, Kansas City, 

Mo. 
336 W. 29th St., Chicago, 111. 

432 First St., Baraboo, Wis. 

Anna, 111. 

3664 Lierman Ave., St. Louis, 

Mo. 
C/o C. D. Levering, Fair Oaks, 

Calif. 
261 South St., Bridgewater, Mass. 
52 Lowell St., Rochester, N.Y. 
2071- 2d St., Portland, Ore. 
South Beach, Ore. 

2118 S. Harding Ave., Chicago, 
111. 

2812 N. Sacramento Ave., Chi- 
cago, 111. 

C/o Mrs. Emma Weakley, Box 
303, Ely, Nev. 



Name 



Rank 



Orestes G. Martin 


Pvt. 


Alfred Marty 


Pvt. 


Arthur J. Mathews 


Pvt. 


Frank Mayer 


Pvt. 1st CI. 


Winfred D. Meng 


Pvt. 


Joe F. Merino 


Pvt. 1st CI. 


Frederick C. Mezger 


Sgt. 1st CI. 


Frank T. Miles 
Frank R. Mires 


Sgt. 1st CI. 
Pvt. 


John W. Mitchell 


Pvt. 


John D. Moffatt 


Pvt. 1st CI. 


Carl Montague 


Wagoner 


John J. Moore 


Pvt. 


Arthur L. Morgan 


Sgt. 


Harry Morley 


Pvt. 1st CI. 


Walter C. Morrison 


Pvt. 1st CI. 


George S. Morse 


Pvt. 1st CI. 


John D. Murphy 


Pvt. 


Leo Murphy 


Pvt. 


Francis A. McDermott 


Supply Sgt. 


Francis L. McDermott 


Pvt. 1st CI. 


John T. McDermott 


Pvt. 


William N. McDonald 


Corp. 


James H. McMahon 


Pvt. 1st CI. 


Edward J. McMonigal 


Pvt. 


John J. McNamara 


Pvt. 


Joseph M. Mc Williams 


Pvt. 


Joseph Neimey 


Pvt. 


John M. Newton 


Corp. 


Carl H. Nyberg 


(Transf'd) 
Pvt. 1st CI. 


John H. O'Connor 


Corp. 


James O'Leary 


Pvt. 


Carl P. Olm stead 


Pvt. 


John W. Organ 


(Killed in 
action) 
Pvt. 


Joseph R. Orlando 


Pvt. 


William J. O'Rourke 


Pvt. 


William T. Ortman 


Pvt. 1st CI. 


Lawrence J. O'Toole 


Pvt. 



Address {Nearest of Kin) 

C/o C. F. Martin, Almond, Wis. 
8243 Idaho Ave., St. Louis, Mo. 
C/o Mrs. Pauline Perry, Kim- 

berly, Nev. 
549 E. Yamhill St., Portland, Ore. 
3 Willis Ave., Columbia, Mo. 
Superior, Ariz. 
126 Kenilworth PL, Brooklyn, 

N.Y. 
2 Holmes Ave., Fort Thomas, Ky. 
1108 24th St., Oakland, Calif. 
3402 Eads Ave., St. Louis, Mo. 
Ill Lincoln St., Negaunee, Mich. 
517 Veronica Ave., East St. Louis, 

111. 
618 Mellon St., Pittsburgh, Pa. 
423 Rudd Ave., Canon City, Col. 
C/o E. E. Morley, McArthur, 

Ohio 
90 Church St., Oshkosh, Wis. 
142 Lake St., Penn Yan, N.Y. 
4043 N. Market Street, St. Louis, 

Mo. 
3149 Brantner PL, St. Louis, Mo. 
55 River St., Boston, Mass. 
18 Maple St., Canton, Mass. 
146 Terrace St., Roxbury, Mass. 
1300 Highland Ave., Pekin, 111. 
700 Conway St., St. Paul, Minn. 
271 Stevens St., St. Paul, Minn. 
1132 N. Waller Ave., Chicago, 111. 
27 Church St., Lynn, Mass. 
47 E. Main St., Walla Walla, 

Wash. 
53 Chase Ave., Springfield, Mass. 

537 Raymond Ave., St. Paul, 

Minn. 
102 Murdock St., Brighton, Mass. 
3649 Cass Ave., St. Louis, Mo. 
C/o Jesse Olmstead, Box 121, 

Wolcott, N.Y. 

6162* Etzel Ave., St. Louis, Mo. 
1018 S. May St., Chicago, 111. 
320 First St., Richmond, Calif. 
340 5th Ave., San Rafael, Calif. 
959 Rice St., St. Paul, Minn. 



134 



Name 


Rank 


Charles J. Papousek 


Corp. 


William A. Paterson 


Pvt. 


Rudolph Paulson 


Cook 


Henry Paulus 


Pvt. 


James P. Payne 


Pvt. 1st 01. 


John H. Payne 


Pvt. 1st 01. 


Gilbert Peterson 


Pvt. 


Elmer B. Plapp 


Sgt. 


Charles R. Platt 


Pvt. 




(Transf'd) 


Edward G. Pokorny 


Pvt. 


Henry H. Proemsey 


Pvt. 


Samuel W. Raker 


First Sgt. 


Bert J. Reed 


Pvt. 


Lawrence S. Rehman 


Pvt. 1st 01. 


Austin E. Reinhardt 


Pvt. 


Daniel F. Reynolds 


Pvt. 




(Transf'd) 


Emil L. Rice 


Pvt. 


Archibald W. Rider 


Pvt. 




(Transf'd) 


William Riess 


Pvt. 1st 01. 


Spartan E. Roper 


Pvt. 




(Transf'd) 


John M. Ross 


Corp. 


Edward F. Roth 


Pvt. 


John A. Rush 


Pvt. 


William H. Rush 


Pvt. 




(Transf'd) 


Frank S. Salchenberger Sgt. 1st 01. 


Harry 0. E. Sandberg 


Pvt. 




(Transf'd) 




(Wounded in 




action) 


Walter J. Sanford 


Pvt. 


Clarence A. Schilling 


Corp. 


Oscar R. Seeger 


Corp. 


Roy Seeholzer 


Pvt. 


Oscar C. Shafer 


Pvt. 1st 01. 



Address (Nearest of Kin) 

O/o Mrs. Anna Papousek, Birch- 
wood, Wis. 

Edinburgh University, Edinburgh, 
Scotland 

C/o Fred Paulson, Route 5, Box 
42, West Duluth, Minn. 

3735 Iowa Ave., St. Louis, Mo. 

427 Santa Fe Drive, Denver, Col. 

821 W. 48th St., Chicago, 111. 

3646 36th Ave. West, Seattle, 
Wash. 

4140 N. Keeler Ave., Chicago, 111. 

2419 Greenwood St., Pueblo, Col. 

133 Lower Ter., San Francisco, 
Calif. 

3135 Cherry St., Maplewood, Mo. 

1484 E. Sherman St., Portland, 
Ore. 

C/o Mrs. Nancy J. Reed, Gem, 
Tex. 

2039 Rehman St., Carrick, Pa. 

1531 Union St., Schenectady, N.Y. 

C/o Miss Hazel C. Reynolds, Sol- 
omon, Kan. 

Chester St., Derry, N.H. 

220 W. 149th St., New York City. 

3435 Indiana Ave., St. Louis, Mo. 
33 W. Railroad St., Buford, Ga. 

Sutherlin, Ore. 

420 Cedarhurst St., Pittsburgh, 

Pa. 
2039 B St., Granite City, 111. 
C/o H. C. Rush, Howell St., 

Dawson, Pa. 
Route 3, Wonewoc, Wis. 
O/o Mrs. Clara Sandberg, St. 

Charles, 111. 

C/o Mrs. Elizabeth E. Moir, Par- 
amount Apartments, Denver, 
Col. 

602 E. 90th St., Chicago, 111. 

3457 Chicago Ave., Chicago, 111. 

2218 Whitney Ave., Toledo. Ohio 

C/o Abner A. Shafer, Enterprise, 
Ore. 



135 



Name 
Ernest R. Shapland 

William T. Skelcher 

Frank J. Slipka 
Claude B>. Slone 

Ernest L. Smith 

Oliver S. Smith 

Richard A. Smith 

William H. Smith, Jr. 

Hiram T. Snyder 

Melville Sommer 

Charles M. Stevens 
Edward Stolarski 
Claude A. Street 

Ted Sullivan 
Rupert M. Sunn 
Carl Swan son 
Harry W. Talbot 



Andrew J. Thompson 
Earl J. Thompson 

Oscar E. Thorpe 

Gerald A. Titus 
Stanmore B. Townes 

William F. Ueberle 
William Unger 

Dayton E. VanVactob 

Arthur R. Veazie 

LoUis P. Walcher 
John Walden 



Rank 
Pvt. 

(Transf'd) 

Pvt. 

(Transf'd) 
Pvt. 
Pvt. 

Pvt. 1st CI. 

Pvt. 1st CI. 

Pvt. 

Cook 

Pvt. 1st CI. 

Pvt. 

(Wounded in 
action) 
Pvt. 1st CI. 
Pvt. 
Pvt. 

(Transf'd) 

Pvt. 

Pvt. 

Pvt. 1st CI. 

Pvt. 



Seaboubn H. Tanneb Pvt. 



Corp. 
Pvt. 1st CI. 

Pvt. 

Pvt. 1st CI. 
Pvt. 

Sgt. 

Pvt. 1st CI. 

Sgt. 

Pvt. 

Pvt. 
Pvt. 



Address (Nearest of Kin) 
320 Murray St., Rochester, N.Y. 

6121 West Park Ave., St. Louis, 
Mo. 

277 Roebe St., St. Paul, Minn. 

1023 Allegheny Ave., Pittsburgh, 
Pa. 

C/o Charles H. Smith, 46 Irving- 
ton St., Springfield, Mass. 

124 California St., Fayette City, 
Pa. 

C/o F. U. Smith, Davenport, 
Wash. 

C/o Mrs. Minnie Smith, Parkin, 
Ark. 

6841 44th Ave. S.E., Portland, 

Ore. 
1914 First Ave., Birmingham, Ala. 

924 Maple St., Albany, Ore. 

891 E. Rose St., St. Paul, Minn. 

C/o David H. Weddell, R.F.D. 

No. 1, McKeesport, Pa. 
1218 44th Ave., Oakland, Calif. 
C/o J. N. Sunn, Moosup, Conn. 
97 Forty -fourth St., Corona, L.I. 
C/o George Talbot, Willernie, 

Minn. 
C/o James C. Tanner, Route 4, 

Somerville, Col. 
Kensal, N.D. 
C/o Mrs. Adda G. Thompson, 

Waukegan, Tex. 
C/o Mrs. Katherine Dresser, St. 

Francis, Mo. 
Denbigh, N.D. 
C/o Mrs. Julia W. Townes, Route 

1, North Augusta, S.C. 
524 S. Sixth St., St. Charles, Mo. 
C/o E. H. Kuhlmann, 3934 N. 

23d St., St. Louis, Mo. 
1041 Commercial St., Portland, 

Ore. 
C/o Mrs. Hattie Zeazie, St. 

Helen, Ore. 
C/o Park Campbell, Oakmont, Pa. 
C/o Mrs. Emma Walden, Staple- 
ton, Ga. 



136 



Name 


Rank 


George R. Warner 


Pvt. 1st CI. 


Asher L. Webster 
Archie A. Wells 


Pvt. 

(Wounded ir 
action) 
Pvt. 1st CI. 


Benjamin H. Werner 


Wagoner 


Guy S. White 


Pvt. 1st CI. 


CORBETT V. WlLBER 


Pvt. 1st CI. 


Walter S. Wiley 


Corp. 


Justin H. Wllkins 
Joseph F. Williams 


Pvt. 
(Wounded in 
action) 
Pvt. 


Ferguson E. Willis 


Pvt. 1st CI. 


Henry H. Winn 


Pvt. 

(Transf'd) 


Walter H. Win slow 


Corp. 


Charles E. Wixon 


Pvt. 1st CI. 


Joseph F. Yarmish 


Pvt. 


Fred Zeigler 


Pvt. 


John E. Zeile 


Pvt. 1st CI. 



Address (Nearest of Kin) 
Route A, Box 19, Fowler, Calif. 
C/o Mrs. Fannie Van Hooser, 

Route 4, McMinnville, Tenn. 

C/o Mrs. Rhoda A. Wells, Leroy, 

Minn. 
1206 Carson St., Pittsburgh, Pa. 
180 Catalpa St., Benton Harbor, 

Mich. 
C/o Chas. A. Wilber, Roseburg, 

Ore. 
C/o Mrs. Nancy E. Wiley, Carmi, 

111. 
St. Helen, Ore. 

274 W. 128th St., New York City 
4295 Olive St., St. Louis, Mo. 
406 N. Lafayette St., Marshall, 

Tex. 
1256 North Shore Ave., Chicago, 

111. 
21 Tracy St., Rochester, N.Y. 
806 Star Ave., Cleveland, Ohio 
C/o Levi Zeigler, Oronogo, Mo. 
1527 Hopkins St., Berkeley, Calif. 



137 



KEGIMENTAL HEADQTTAKTEBS 
THIKTY-SEVEOTH ENGINEEKS 

Isolation Camp, 
28th February 1919. 

Memorandum No. 57. 

To : Company and Detachment Commanders: 

1. The following letter of commendation from the Chief 
Engineer, American Expeditionary Forces, is quoted from 
your information, and will be read tor your command at 
formation on Sunday, March 2nd : 

American Expeditionary Forces 

Headquarters Services op Supply 

Office of the Chief Engineer, A.E.F. 

24 February 1919. 
From : The Chief Engineer, A.E.F. 
To : Commanding Officer, 37th Engineers. 

Subject : Letter of Commendation. 

1. Before issuance of definite orders from your regiment 
to return to the States, it is my desire that the command 
be advised that they have met the conditions imposed by 
the conflict just concluded in a most satisfactory manner. 

2. Your regiment performed many important duties, 
such as electrification of the barbed wire in the Vosges 
sector, installation and operation of pumps in the Army 
area. The high degree of ingenuity and the commendable 
spirit of co-operation all indicates that there was ability 
and energy present that would produce accomplishments 
regardless of obstacles. 

3. I desire that you and your command know that the 
services rendered were highly satisfactory and deserve 
commendation. 

W. C. Langfitt, 

Major-General, U.S.A. 

By direction of Colonel A. E. Peirce, 

H. L. MEAD, 

Captain, Engrs. U.S.A. 

Adjutant. 

13S 



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